What the Future Brings
by mmooch
Summary: **Sequel to 'Charmed Places'** Buffy looks to her destiny-free future and wonders how to best use her new and improved powers. Charmed mentioned.
1. Prologue Part 1 Looking Back: Sunnydal

**What the Future Brings**

Summary: Buffy looks to her destiny-free future and wonders how to best use her new and improved powers.

Pairing: only the minor pairing of Giles/Katherine (of the Devon Coven) for now.

Rating: Mild PG-13 I think

Timeline: 6 months post-_'Charmed Places'_ putting it like early October.

Warning: Slight language and innuendo. Non-friendly feelings for Willow and Xander, but it shouldn't matter much unless I feel the need to mention them. For now they are just not in the story.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

**Recap** of _'Charmed Places'_: After being kicked out of her house, Buffy is joined by Leo and the Charmed Ones. It turns out that her 'heaven' was actually her pre-transition to becoming a whitelighter and she was pulled out before she could receive her powers.

When the Scoobies attempt to stop a prophecy without her, they are stopped by the Cleaners and Willow is brought before the Tribunal where her powers were bound until she earned them back. But at Buffy's request, her memories were left intact.

After a harsh exchange between her and some of the Scoobies, Buffy asks Leo to take her home – a house _across_ the street from the house she had called home for the last 7 years. She tells her new group that she thought something was off with her estranged friends. When they tried to summon Tara's spirit to ask for her help in reading their auras, they find out that she is now a whitelighter – as well as Angel's old seer, Doyle. The two of them had told the Elders a little bit about the missing whitelighter 'Beth' who was the same person as the Slayer the sisters where supposed to help.

Tara reads both of the groups and finds out that someone has casted spells on Giles. The Halliwells do their own spells to remove them and, in doing so, they learn that it was Willow who compelled him to leave Buffy the year before. There is another, _harsher,_ confrontation at the house and the coven that attempted to rehab Willow, decide to strip her powers permanently, reminding her that any attempt by her to get them back would result in further punishment by the Cleaners and Tribunal. A verbal fight ensues and ends with Kennedy and Xander siding with the red-headed wiccan. The three of them leave Sunnydale in anger.

Angel arrives a couple days later with the amulet that they need to fulfill the prophecy that the Scoobies had tried to stop. Because they only had _part_ of it, they didn't know that instead of it being a bad thing, it would actually lead to freedom for Buffy. Buffy asks for help in keeping his soul in place permanently. When they summon Jenny Calendar, she says the only way it can happen is for him to endure the demon trials. But instead, his reward for completing them is his Shanshu. The ex-lovers say a final farewell and wish each other good lives…_separate_ lives.

Buffy, the Halliwell sisters and Spike complete the ceremony to close the Hellmouth and defeat their greatest enemies: The Source and The First Evil. They are all given a choice about their futures by the Angel of Destiny.

After finding out the threat is gone, Giles goes back to England to rebuild the Council. When Buffy sends Dawn to live with their cousins in Kansas – since she is no longer the Key or in need of Slayer-protection – and leaves the Hellmouth to Faith, Buffy goes with Leo and the others to learn about her new whitelighter powers. She now has her own whitelighter, Tara, there to help.

A/N: Thanks to my betas for their help... AshDawnSoulmates, BkwrmDancer, Chrislover, DawnDreamer, and ktweaver.

A/N2: I have a question for my readers: Should Buffy use her healing powers to wake Cordelia from her mystical coma? If so, should it lead to a Cordy/Angel 'ship?

**Prologue: Looking Back – Sunnydale**

Buffy stood in the farmyard, looking at the picture perfect Midwestern scene. It looked so Norman Rockwell-ish that her heart ached. If she'd had any doubts about sending Dawn here to their cousins, this brushed them all away. This was her sister's best chance for a shot at normalcy. At least for a little while.

Dawn had made it clear to her older sister that when she finished her schooling – and that included college, thank you very much – that she planned to join the Council as a Watcher. Buffy knew that it had been a pipe dream that Dawn would ever be _totally_ free from the supernatural world. And to be honest, she was very proud of her sister. It helped knowing that as long as there were people that understood the Slayers better, the Council would be in good hands.

She reached out with her increased senses but couldn't feel any of her family nearby. There was a niggling feeling from _something_ on the farm, but it didn't have a bad sense about it…just _different_ somehow. But that wasn't important at the moment. She made herself comfortable on the porch swing and thought back over the months since she left Sunnydale behind.

Faith and Spike and stayed at the Hellmouth. Though the energy coming out of it was diminished, it was still a draw to the forces of darkness and someone had to protect the people there. It didn't take long for the former citizens to make their way back. For such clueless people, they had a tremendous subconscious sense of the town.

Giles had taken many of the Potentials back to England with him. He had the arduous task of rebuilding the Council and training the girls. Fortunately, the Devon Coven had made the decision to involve themselves – now that the Council would have a leader that would _treasure_ the Slayers instead of treating them like disposable weapons.

Just days after the Hellmouth closed, Buffy and Dawn packed up only the belongings that they wished to keep and made their way to Kansas. Since things were still tense between them, they opted to fly instead of drive. They managed to remain civil to each other when they met their cousins, but it was apparent to all that their relationship was strained.

While her younger cousin was showing Dawn around the farm, Buffy spoke to his parents. She left out the supernatural elements of their story, but explained how she just couldn't be a sister as well as both parents at the same time. She wasn't good at it, and neither of them saw just how bad it was until it was almost too late. There had been a final fight and Dawn's resentment of her older sister boiled over. It was then that Buffy realized she wasn't helping her sister by keeping Dawn with her. Dawn needed _parents_ that cared and if there were two of them, that would be even better.

The couple knew there was more to the story than either girl was willing to tell them for now, but they set it aside. It was clear that the younger Summers felt terribly guilty about whatever had happened between them, just as it was equally plain that the elder Summers looked hurt and betrayed. The thing that made them hopeful was both planned to keep in touch and gave each other an emotional hug goodbye.

They promised Buffy that they would take care of Dawn. She nodded her thanks and turned to get on the plane back to California. But this time, she was going to San Francisco instead of LA or Sunnydale. She had powers she needed to master and the ones who could help her were there.

Her time with the Halliwells managed to serve another purpose. The blows to Buffy's self-esteem that came to a head the night she was kicked out by her family and friends had almost destroyed her. The sisters and Leo, along with Buffy's personal whitelighter Tara, worked at healing those emotional wounds. Now she felt stronger and more self-confident than she had in years. She was ready to face her future and that meant visiting the remaining ties to her past.

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Her stopovers with Faith and Giles had gone well. The ability to orb anywhere made traveling a lot easier… well, as long as no one asked to see her passport. She'd have to remember to make some of her overseas visits the old-fashioned way. Hopefully the duration of the flights wouldn't bother her too much.

Buffy still couldn't believe Giles had made Spike a Watcher! And _Faith's_ Watcher no less! Especially given how much he despised the ensouled vampire. Maybe his guilt over the other issues made him re-evaluate Spike. That and the fact that he – meaning Spike – literally had changed in that final battle. When they used the amulet to lock the Hellmouth, it drew the demon from him, taking his bloodlust with it. He also could go out in the sun and handle holy objects again. It's kind of hard to picture him as a vampire when he's out in the park midday holding a cross and eating a sandwich. Which he actually _did_ one day.

In addition, once you got past the snarky attitude and really talked to Spike, he was very intelligent and had an incredible memory, which came in quite handy for remembering the different demons _and_ the ways to kill them. Nobody could deny that he was the perfect sparring partner for a Slayer given his speed and strength. Giles had to teach him the various forms of the training methods and fighting styles. But after that, Spike was easily able to train Faith.

An added bonus was how well their personalities meshed. Two people who loved to fight and loved to unwind just as aggressively as they fought. Woe to the person who tried to drink _those_ two under a table. That person would inevitably end up being carried out on a stretcher.

Buffy's visit to Sunnydale had been…okay. Not great but not as heart-wrenching as she feared. She had been worried about going back to a place that held so many bad memories for her. But her fears had been unfounded, for the most part. A lot about the town had changed once people started filtering back in.

Robin Wood left when he realized that Spike wasn't going anywhere. He got so upset that he pulled a 'Wesley' and became a 'Rogue Demon Hunter' – though with considerably more success than the ex-Watcher. Giles had left the door open to the Council if Wood ever wanted to join them.

Because being in her old house pained her, Buffy asked Faith to sell it and get a new place with the money. Giles vetoed that, saying the Council would pay for the Slayer's expenses and that Buffy should keep the money for her and Dawn. So she stayed with Faith and Spike in their comfy 3-bedroom house a few blocks from Revello Drive.

Giles had also decided that having a functioning magick shop was a valuable resource in the fight against evil. So he worked it out with Anya to rebuild the Magic Box. And with everyone's contacts, they were able to procure a small coven of practicing wiccans to work in the shop and also assist Faith when necessary.

All in all, it seemed like the new Slayer Squad had the Hellmouth under control. Yes, Faith liked the nickname so much that she started using it after Buffy left. No _way_ was she using the names 'Scooby Gang' or 'Slayerettes'. She wanted nothing to do with immortalizing the _original_ group.

Buffy couldn't blame her. Even if things hadn't fallen apart, Faith shouldn't have to do _anything_ that made her feel like she was in Buffy's shadow. At least nothing she could control.

She left Sunnydale after about a week, confident that Faith and her Squad knew what they were doing. And if Giles asked her, that's exactly what she'd tell him.

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A/N: Next…Prologue continued. Looking Back – Devon, England


	2. Prologue Part 2 Looking Back: Devon, Eng

**Prologue: Looking Back – Devon, England**

Warning: Slight language and innuendo. Non-friendly feelings for Willow and Xander, but it shouldn't matter much unless I feel the need to mention them. For now they are just not in the story.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: There was a lot to go through so this chapter is much longer than normal. Don't expect it to happen again. (smirk)

A/N2: Thanks to my betas for their help...BkwrmDancer, Chrislover, DawnDreamer, ktweaver, and AshDawnSoulmates.

A/N3: I have a question for my readers: Should Buffy use her healing powers to wake Cordelia from her mystical coma? If so, should it lead to a Cordy/Angel 'ship?

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Buffy laughed when she thought of her visit with Giles – once she got over the mental scarring that is. She'd have to talk to one of her whitelighter friends about how to sense what people were _doing_ in a room before they orbed into. Even though she no longer thought of Giles as 'old and gross', that _didn't_ mean that she wanted to _witness_ those activities. _Although_…Katherine _was_ awfully attractive and apparently the magick mojo was quite the mood booster.

She smirked when she said that to him. He didn't stop stuttering nonsense for a good half hour after that. Fortunately, Katherine had just as wicked a sense of humor as Buffy, so she wasn't offended. More's the pity for Giles for that. He blushed every time he caught the two women in conversation.

These visits that Buffy made served another purpose other than just checking in. Buffy and Tara decided to tell Anya, Giles and Dawn about Tara's whitelighter status. They figured they deserved to know and that they would understand _why_ they didn't want Willow or Xander to find out for now.

Course Anya didn't care too much about it, other than being happy for Tara since the latter was happy in her new role. She promised to keep quiet about it, limiting the info to the Slayer Squad. The newer members of the Squad had been informed of the basic troubles with Willow and Xander and that they were not to provide any information unless told specifically by Tara or Buffy.

Giles had taken it a bit more emotionally. That was British for almost passing out from shock. Once he worked through that, he was beyond thrilled. In an unusual manner, he kept hugging the poor girl. His new touchy-feely attitude wasn't limited to Tara however. He embraced Buffy often too…just not quite as much.

She and Giles'd had a few talks about the way things went bad between them. He accepted the blame for the choices he made that weren't spell-driven. But since a lot of their actions had been tainted in one way or another by his leaving Sunnydale, it took considerable effort for them to weave through their thoughts, feelings and actions.

But they had managed to at least return to their Slayer/Watcher relationship and in time believed they would regain their friendship as well. They both knew that surviving this assault with _any_ kind of involvement was a good step and could only serve to make them stronger. 'Cause when it came down to the bare bones of it, Buffy's hiding Angel's return and Giles' performing the Cruciamentum were vastly more difficult things to forgive and they had managed to pardon each other for those betrayals.

So in between the hug-fests and the teasing jags, Buffy managed to demonstrate the extent of her new powers. Katherine enjoyed the orbing immensely. It took a lot of magical energy to teleport and having this option for emergencies made her very happy. _'Not as happy as Rupert of course,' _she murmured and winked at Buffy, causing them to break out giggling like teenagers, therefore driving Giles to flee the room.

She also showed the Watchers and Watchers-wannabes a good deal of her full Slayer powers during a training session. She requested that they not find out about her whitelighter abilities for the time being. But hey! They still learned a lot that day. Mostly what they learned though was they shouldn't piss Buffy off.

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As luck would have it, one of her new combo powers the Angel of Destiny had told her about manifested during her visit. It freaked her out at first because she didn't _mean_ to use it that first time. Her mind sensed the need for action and provided the means to accomplish it.

Buffy was almost back to Giles' flat when the demon attacked. She didn't recall seeing this kind before – except it looked similar to a Fyarl. Just as she chopped its head off, one of its claws caught her arm.

She quickly looked at it, but it didn't seem like anything more than a scratch – Slayer speaking. She quietly entered the flat and made her way to the bathroom attached to her bedroom. After cleaning up and taking care of her arm, she went to lay down.

As she was falling asleep, Buffy realized that there was something wrong about the way she was going under. It was too foggy of a feeling. Her last conscious thought was that she wished she had told Giles or Tara about the demon.

When she woke up several hours later, she saw the two of them hovering over her anxiously. Then she noticed the magical ingredients next to her bed.

The question was clear in her eyes and Giles answered it, "The demon you encountered was a cousin to the Fyarl. It has a slow-release poison that coats its claws which renders its victims unconscious. The longer they are unconscious, the less likely they are to awaken."

Buffy blurted out in her confusion, "Not that I'm not happy to see you guys, but what are you doing in here? Or have I been out longer than just a few hours?"

Tara and Giles shared a strange look before he turned to her. "You _told_ me to come help you," he answered, concerned that she didn't seem to know what he was talking about.

"Uhh, Giles…in case you couldn't tell, I really wasn't _able_ to call you," she responded, just as worried.

"Then you _really_ don't know what you did?" Tara asked.

"_What_ did I do?" Buffy questioned warily.

"You spoke to us telepathically and told us you needed us and precisely what had happened to you, including a description of the demon," he explained.

"Seriously?" They nodded. "I didn't _mean_ to. I just thought as I fell asleep that I was sorry I didn't tell one of you about the demon," she mused.

Tara offered an explanation, "Maybe this is one of those _new_ abilities that the Angel of Destiny told you would develop over time."

"Ya think?"

"Why don't you try to say something to one of us now, but not out loud?" Giles suggested.

She shrugged. "Okay…" She thought for a second then asked Tara if she thought Giles wore boxers or briefs. Tara's blush and sudden interest in the floor told Buffy that she caught the question. They locked eyes before they burst out giggling.

"Dare I ask what your message was?" he questioned with a long-suffering tone.

Buffy closed her eyes momentarily then re-opened them, blinking back the tears of laughter. She smiled at him. "Probably not. But don't worry, it's nothing bad or insulting. Just a typical girl thing."

"Somehow that doesn't reassure me, but I don't want to know, so let's move on. Try to project again to _my_ mind." With her success he continued, "Apparently you do have the ability to project thoughts _into_ someone's mind. The next logical question is: can you receive thoughts back?"

"You mean like that 'aspect of the demon' thing senior year? God, I _hope_ not!" she declared, slightly panicked at the possibility.

He clarified quickly, "No, I mean one-on-one communication. When you sent _out_ your message, you didn't send it to _everyone_, just the people you wanted to."

She faltered. "Wouldn't that be like, I don't know, reading someone's diary?"

"I suppose…if you only went into their minds to find out things they were hiding; although, it may be necessary if it were critical in protecting the world. You'd have to be diligent not to abuse the power. But I was referring to talking back and forth with someone silently," he elaborated.

She shot him a look of skepticism. "And just _who_ would want to help me practice this ability, given the possibility that I could read their mind?" she snarked.

He pulled his glasses for a good polishing and muttered, "Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that!" he admitted. "I guess someone who wouldn't be afraid of what you might find out."

"I'll do it, Buffy," Tara suggested. "We've already gotten pretty close over the past months. So there's probably not that much you don't know by now."

"Yeah, I suppose…" Buffy hesitated. "But I would've thought that you _especially_ wouldn't like anyone in your head."

She shook her head vehemently. "Not just anyone!" she conceded. "But this is _you_! I trust you not to go beyond what I'm okay with."

Buffy blinked back some tears. "Thanks Tara. That means a lot. I know how hard it must be for you to trust someone that way."

She shrugged. "Like I said, I trust _you_. Pretty much anyone _else_ would be a problem."

Buffy nodded understandingly. "I get it…really. It's sorta like me and Faith." She continued quickly at their shocked faces, " She was my sister-Slayer, and still is on some level. We were able to connect in a way no one ever understood. Sure we had our fights; you can't have two alphas in the same territory and not have confrontations. But when it came to truly _getting_ each other, we had that."

She looked at Tara. "Now, this whitelighter gig…I know that there are a lot of us. But they don't normally get as close as we have. And I think that makes us sister-whitelighters, even if I'm not technically one yet. This closeness wouldn't be there with anyone else, even Leo or Doyle and I love them both dearly."

"I see what you're saying and I think you're right," Tara agreed. "When I go to see the Elders, there's this small part of me that feels empty. But when I'm back with you, I'm okay again."

Giles cleared his throated awkwardly, "Does this mean--? What I'm asking is-- The two of you…" he trailed off, embarrassed.

Buffy laughed and projected something to Tara, who started to titter. "What you are so cleverly try to find out is if we're making with the smoochies?"

"Well, yes. I understand that it is none of my business," he apologized.

She cut him off, "No, I'm still into guys – at least theoretically – and she's still into girls – again in theory. If it makes it easier for you, think of us as twins. They have that freaky connection thing happening too."

Tara added, "Besides, I don't think it's a good idea for me to fall in love with my charge. I know Leo and Piper did and that it's working so far for them. But there's just too much possibility for disaster going down that road and I'd just as soon avoid that."

"Here I thought you just didn't find me attractive," Buffy pouted, but with a gleam in her eye.

Tara just shook her head at her friend. Now that it was just the two of them, their friendship had strengthened enormously. The added bonus was how they complemented each other. Buffy was calmed by Tara's presence and Tara grew more confident in Buffy's.

Sure, she had the _stray_ thought about the small blond, no moreso than anyone else. And she knew that Buffy wouldn't freak out at that. Heck, she knew Xander _actively_ fantasized about her in high school and was still okay with him being around. Okay, maybe _he_ wasn't the best example – considering how things ended with them.

"Oh dear lord," Giles murmured as he polished his glasses yet again. "If we can get back to the matter at hand? It would be good for you to try and ascertain whether you have the ability to read minds."

"So how should we do this? Tara'll think of a number and I have to guess what it is?" Buffy joked.

"That's a simplistic way of putting it, but yes," he replied.

They sat there in silence for several minutes but Buffy couldn't read anything. She threw her hands up in frustration. "Ahhh! I can't do it!"

"Well, perhaps I should leave the two of you alone so you don't have the added pressure of an audience as well," Giles proposed to the girls.

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After he left, Tara grabbed her hand and pulled her down to the mats. She sat cross-legged and motioned Buffy to do the same. "First I think we need to relax and clear our minds. Close your eyes and just let go."

It took a few minutes, but eventually Buffy got to a neutral state. She took a deep breath and reached out with her mind. First she sent Tara a warning that she was about to begin so her friend wasn't caught off guard.

She pictured Tara's mind as a house and knocked on the front door. Tara opened the door and stepped back to let her in. Even in her mind, she wouldn't offer a verbal invitation. That made Buffy laugh.

Once inside, Tara offered her a seat in what looked like a throw-back to hippie days. The only seats were overstuffed pillows and bean bags. She arched an eyebrow at her friend.

Tara returned her look. "I just find this cozier. If you want, I could imagine something else to sit on."

"Nah, that's okay; just kinda surprised me is all," she said as she sunk into one of the bean bags. She let out a sharp sigh and asked, "Well, now that we're here, what should we talk about?"

Tara thought for a minute then answered, "I suppose maybe we should attempt guided memories. I'm not sure how that would work exactly, but we could make an effort to try."

Buffy nodded, "Sure. Do you want to go first or should I?"

"I'm not sure we can _do_ yours. We are in _my_ mind after all. We'll try yours after we finish one of mine," she suggested.

They got up and walked to a door. Tara concentrated for a minute then opened it; they found themselves viewing a memory of her and her mother. After the scene ended, they shared a smile and walked to the next door.

This time Buffy stood there picturing the memory she wanted to share with Tara. She opened the door and they watched Buffy meeting Merrick for the first time. Then the scene shifted to that night when he threw the knife at her head and then later when she tried to stake her first vampire and missed.

"Interesting memory you chose, Buffy. Can I ask why?" Tara questioned curiously.

"I wasn't sure if you ever heard the story of my Calling. So I figured it would be an interesting one to share," she replied.

"Ya think Giles is getting worried about us yet?" the whitelighter wondered.

Buffy closed her eyes momentarily before answering, "Yeah. I can sense him pacing in the next room. We'd better get out there and let him know that we did it."

"You should try this with him or Katherine as well. Like you said, _we_ are closely connected. We need to know if you can do this with someone else," she told her.

She nodded, "You have a point. I hope they're _willing_ to do it."

Tara just chuckled, "This is for his Slayer; Giles will do it. And Katherine adores you so she'll do it too."

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The next few hours were spent trying different approaches. She shared individually with the other two. Then she joined the four of them together for a group link. This had intrigued the Watcher very much. The women observed him with suppressed laughter as he paced around the room, going over the possibilities in his head.

Since she was anxious to see her sister again, Buffy said her goodbyes a couple days later, after making them promise to call if they needed anything. She may not be the Slayer anymore, but that didn't mean she was done with the fight. Tara would come when Buffy called her, just as she did the other times. Meanwhile, she'd stay a bit longer with Giles and Katherine.

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A/N: Next…The road to recovery.


	3. Chapter 1: The Road to Recovery

**Chapter 1: The Road to Recovery**

Warning: Slight language and innuendo. Non-friendly feelings for Willow and Xander, but shouldn't matter much unless I feel the need to mention them. For now they are just not in the story.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. Smallville characters belong to DC Comics & WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: Because of the generation gap, Buffy and Dawn will call Jonathon and Martha 'Uncle' and 'Aunt' even though they are cousins. My family does this with the younger and older groups as a sign of respect so I want to use it. The descriptions will use the correct word though.

A/N2: Thanks to my betas for their help...Chrislover, DawnDreamer, ktweaver, AshDawnSoulmates, and BkwrmDancer.

A/N3: I have a question for my readers: Should Buffy use her healing powers to wake Cordelia from her mystical coma? If so, should it lead to a Cordy/Angel 'ship?

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The rumble of a truck pulling up the drive pulled Buffy out of her remembrances. She smiled as she watched Martha get out of the truck and unload an armful of groceries. When she saw Buffy on the porch, Martha called out, "Buffy! When did you get here?" Then she looked around the yard in confusion. "Umm, _how_ did you get here?"

Buffy reached for the groceries so the older woman could open the door. "Just a little bit ago and I was just dropped off," she replied blithely, hoping she wouldn't ask by who. Maybe orbing in _wasn't_ such a great idea after all.

Martha looked reprovingly at her cousin. "You should have told us you were coming," she scolded. "We would have been happy to pick you up."

"This was was just easier," Buffy hedged, thinking up a lie. "I didn't know when I'd be getting in and didn't want anyone wasting a lot of time waiting for me. So where's the rest of the family?" she asked, attempting to divert Martha's attention.

"The kids are helping Jonathon with a delivery; they'll be back in a few hours," she answered as she started putting the groceries away. When she finished, she took a closer look at the young blond. "Well, I must admit you look much better than the last time you were here." She left the statement open, hoping that her cousin was ready to share more of what happened.

Buffy saw the opening for what it was and considered whether she should burden her extended family with the truth. In the end, she chose to spare them from the supernatural for as long as possible. _If_ it was possible. But they deserved _something_ so she let out a sigh and started, "Okay, Aunt Martha…here's the thing. I can't tell you everything now, but I don't want to lie to you either so I hope that you can just accept what we say."

Martha took a deep breath while she made her decision. Then she realized that _they_ were hiding secrets from their cousins and even Clark didn't know the _whole_ story yet. She nodded, "That's fine. But I hope that some day you can let us know the whole situation." She hesitated before asking, "You're not hiding anything _criminal_, are you?"

Buffy smiled and shook her head. "No, it's just private stuff. But anyway, the final straw that made me realize we couldn't go on the way we were, was Dawn and my friends decided that they didn't like the decisions I was making about our living situation. They chose to pick someone else to be in charge – someone who didn't have the best history with us – and then told me to leave our house when I disagreed."

She held up her hand when it looked like Martha was going to say something; she needed to get this out. Running her hands through her hair to calm herself, she continued, "Now they were right that _some_ of my decisions were the wrong ones, but given the circumstances that we were in, I did the best I could. And instead of working _with_ me, they chose to punish me. The five that hurt me the most were Dawn, Giles our mentor, my best friends Xander and Willow, and Anya. Although Anya…not so much; we weren't very close. Dawn and Giles apologized to me later when they calmed down, but Xander and Willow are still very angry and left town with a new acquaintance."

She looked down to hide her tears. When she spoke again, her voice was shaky with emotion, "Even though they said they were sorry, it still hurts that they didn't trust me. It will take a bit longer for me to be able to trust _them_ again. But I think that we are doing good salvaging our relationships."

She finally brought her eyes up to meet Martha's. "I'm sorry for just dropping Dawnie off and then leaving, but I _needed_ time and space so I could heal and not worry about someone else. And I think it worked, I feel much stronger and ready to be a big sister again. I hope you can forgive me for doing that." She bit her lip before adding, "I'd like to stick around the area for a while and get to know her again…and you three too."

Martha rushed around the island and pulled Buffy into motherly hug. The feeling was so overwhelming that Buffy started to cry. They moved into the living room to sit and Martha just stroked her hair and cooed comforting words into her ear. When Buffy regained her composure, she grabbed the blond's chin and looked her square in the eye. "There is _nothing_ to forgive. We saw that things were tense between the two of you and believed that as long as you kept trying, the time apart would be good for _both_ of you," she finished adamantly.

"So Dawnie's really doing good here? I know that she said she grew to enjoy the farm life after the first month or so," she asked hopefully.

She chuckled, "Oh yeah, it took a few early mornings and a lot of grumbling before she got the hang of things. She said that as long as we kept the coffee coming, she'd try her best. I wanted to object, but it didn't seem important enough to fight about. Given how tall she is already, we don't need to worry about it stunting her growth."

"Yeah, that's _so_ unfair. She stole all the height in the family. As well as the brains," she pouted self-deprecatingly. "But on the plus side, I got the athleticism. She's _much_ clumsier than me," she smirked.

"We learned that too, _quite_ a few times." Martha shuddered slightly at the memories of some of Dawn's mishaps. Shaking it off, she offered, "We would be happy if you stayed here. Being so far away, we didn't get to know you two very well and I think Clark especially enjoys having more family around. Even if it means he's the 'little' cousin."

Buffy snorted, "_Little_, yeah right! Like a mountain is a hill. I can't believe how big he is already and he's only 14?! He's going to be a giant when he finishes growing," she joked. "But seriously, I'll stay here _only_ if it doesn't interfere with your parenting of Dawn. She deserves good parents and everything that Mom ever told us about you tells me that you two are a couple of the best. If there is a problem, I'll get my own place. The group that I was working for back in Sunnydale decided to give me a retroactive bonus for my time with them, so money won't be an issue."

Martha blushed at the praise of her late cousin, but responded, "Good! Then that's settled. Let's get you set up in the guest room. You'll have to share a bathroom with Clark and Dawn though."

"No prob. Lead on _Auntie Marty_," she teased. She laughed at Martha's glare as they went upstairs.

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A/N: Next…Reunited and it feels so good.


	4. Chapter 2: Reunited and It Feels So Good

**Chapter 2: Reunited and It Feels So Good**

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. Smallville characters belong to DC Comics & WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: Thanks to my betas for their help...DawnDreamer, ktweaver, AshDawnSoulmates, BkwrmDancer, and Chrislover.

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**Kent farm, Smallville Kansas**

Dawn yelled as she burst through the door, "Hey Aunt Martha! Is there any lemonade?"

"You know, a good way to find that out is to look in the fridge," Jonathon teased, coming in behind her.

"Except that would take longer," she pouted. Then she looked around for Martha and found her on the couch…with _Buffy_! "When did you get here?" she asked, worried about her sister's unexpected appearance.

Buffy got up and walked to the kitchen slowly, watching Dawn's reactions for a sign she wasn't wanted here. She saw nervousness, but not any anger so she took a chance. "Just a little bit ago. I finished my time with the Halliwells and decided to pop in to see my Dawnie." She said the name almost as a question of their relationship.

Dawn stood transfixed at the sight of the person who protected her, died for her and gave her up. The last time she saw her, she made anorexics look fat. But now the elder Summers actually looked healthy!. Even better, the haunted look in her eyes was mostly gone.

Then Buffy's words penetrated her observations. _'Dawnie'_? Her sister called her Dawnie! She hadn't done that since before _that_ night. Maybe she was ready to forgive her now.

"Dawnie?" Buffy repeated gently, seeing the emotions race across her sister's face, finally settling on hope. The ex-Slayer decided that the badness needed to be of the past and held her arms open for Dawn.

When the younger Summers saw that gesture, she flew across the room and buried herself in Buffy's arms. She shuddered with barely contained tears until Buffy caressed her hair and whispered, "It's okay." At that, she started crying in earnest. The girls made their way to what was becoming the crying couch that day.

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Martha grabbed Jonathon's hand and pulled him out onto the porch. "They need time alone, sweetheart," she explained. He nodded his agreement.

"Did she say if this was a visit or if she's planning to stay a while?" he questioned his wife as they sat on the swing.

"She told me she wants to stick around as long as it doesn't interfere with our raising Dawn."

"What? Why would she think there would be a problem? If she didn't agree with our parenting style, would she have left Dawn with us?" He was confused.

"I didn't get a chance to ask but I think it's probably more like: she had her set of rules for Dawn and ways to handle things with her and we might have – and probably _do_ have – different rules and ways. And she doesn't want to confuse Dawn or give her a chance to work us against each other."

"You mean pretty much like she told us 6 months ago. And she's just letting us know that it hasn't changed even though things are better between them."

"Do you think it will be too hard for Clark to keep his abilities secret from another person in the house? I know that there's been a few close calls with Dawn…" he trailed off uncomfortably.

"Speaking of which, where is he?"

"We ran into Pete in town and he wanted to spend some time with him. Since we were already done unloading, I didn't see the harm in letting him."

She nodded thoughtfully, "Actually it's probably better this way. Buffy and Dawn need time and having him here would just make them postpone their talk."

"It does seem like things are better between them," he remarked with a hint of questioning in his voice, as if her wasn't sure it was true.

"Yes. It's sad that they had to be away from each other, but I suppose it's better than continuing on the way they were until they couldn't stand each other anymore."

He put his arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her into him as they rocked gently, watching the sun go down.

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**While inside…**

Once Dawn's tears slowed, she pulled away from her sister slightly to look at her again. She wanted to ask – truly she did – but was afraid. "Buffy? I know I said it before--"

"You did," Buffy cut her off, "and that's enough for me." She brushed a strand of hair off the other's face, behind her ear. "You weren't the only one to blame for the situation. If I hadn't been so stubborn about protecting the _'Key'_, I would have seen that my _sister_ needed something that I wasn't able to give her."

She continued at Dawn's attempt of protest, "It was one thing for me to fight Social Services, but I deprived you of a _good_ mom and dad by not sending you here sooner. I hope you can forgive me for that."

"Oh Buffy! I probably would have hated you for sending me away then if you had. To be honest, a small part of me hated you when you _did_. But I figured that I deserved it after turning on you. And then after a couple weeks here and enjoying having two parents to take care of me, I admitted to myself that you were right." She laughed and lightly hit her sister's arm. "Then of course, I hated you for being right!" she teased.

"Lot of hating going on there, Dawnie. Get it all out of your system now? Or do I have to come up with a bribe of some sort?"

"Ooo, like what?" she demanded, bouncing on the couch.

Buffy laughed, "I don't know…Umm, would you like to try orbing somewhere with me?"

Dawn's eyes grew wide. "Really?" She looked thoughtful for a minute before asking, "How exactly does that work anyway?"

"I don't know _exactly_, but basically I think of a place I want to go and imagine myself going there. Anything I'm holding or is holding me is brought along. It's how I went from San Francisco to Sunnydale to Devon to here. Course, I can't _always_ travel that way or someone will wonder why I don't have any stamps in my passport."

"You went to Sunnydale and Devon before coming here?" Dawn asked, lowering her head to hide her hurt.

"Yes. Because I knew _those_ visits would be quick ones. If it's okay with you, I want this one to be longer. I want to stay here for a while."

Her head whipped up. "Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh," Buffy assured her before adding the warning, "But that doesn't change things here. Uncle Jonathon and Aunt Martha are still your guardians. I'm only your _sister_ now. Can you handle that? I don't want either of us to undermine their authority…Clear?"

"Yeah! No problem!" she quickly agreed, excited to be with her sister again.

"Alright then, tell me what's the what here." Buffy sat back, pulling her feet up under her.

They sat there for the next 45 minutes, exchanging stories and gossip. Dawn cringed when Buffy told her what she orbed in on when she visited Giles and let out a hardy _'Ewwww!'_

That seemed to be the cue for Jonathon and Martha to look in and see if it was safe to come back. The girls quickly assured them it was and Buffy hurried over to hug Jonathon, realizing that she forgot to in the earlier excitement. All of them settled in the kitchen to talk while Martha prepared dinner – the others helping out at her command.

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A/N: Next…That's different. (Buffy & Clark)


	5. Chapter 3: I Dream of KalEl

**Chapter 3: I Dream of Kal-El**

Warning: Non-friendly feelings for Willow and Xander, but shouldn't matter much unless I feel the need to mention them. For now they are just not in the story.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. Smallville characters belong to DC Comics & WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: Thanks to my betas for their help... ktweaver, AshDawnSoulmates, BkwrmDancer, and Chrislover, DawnDreamer.

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**Kent Farm**

As if he could sense it, Clark walked in just as Martha announced dinner was ready. His parents laughed at Buffy's look of shock at his sudden appearance, never guessing the _reason_ for her shock. She studied him, then glanced at his parents and finally at her sister, looking for the answer to her new puzzle.

"Clark's always been able to time his arrivals to match the appearance of food," Martha offered with a grin.

He blushed, "It's not _that_ bad, Mom." He turned to Buffy, "Hey cuz! I didn't know you were coming!"

She shook her head to clear the questions that were racing around inside. "Uh, that's because it was a surprise. I finished my training and did the visit-y thing in California and England. All of which lead up to the grand finale of a stay here in Smallville."

She opted not to notice the quick look of alarm he shot his dad _or_ the barely perceptible shake of Jonathon's head in response. "So what's new with you, little cuz?"

"Hey! Who are _you_ calling 'little'?" he teased.

"Brat!" she shot back with the same tone.

"Well, I spent a _lot_ of time telling people who the new girl was and _way_ too much time saying that we are not now – nor ever _will_ be – 'involved'," he explained with a shudder.

Buffy wrinkled her nose in disgust. "You mean the fact that she's _related_ to you isn't enough to stop comments like that? What kind of freaky dating scene is going on around here?"

He looked confused for a second before he replied, "It's just that everyone in town knows that I'm adopted. So we're only _sorta_ related."

She turned to her sister. "Did _you_ know this, Dawnie?" The younger Summers shook her head. "Color me un-informed. Sorry we didn't know this before," Buffy apologized. "None of the papers of Mom's I read said anything about an adoption…not that I can _remember_ anyway."

Wanting to avoid the topic of her son's adoption, Martha quickly steered the topic in a new direction, "Clark, I was hoping you and Dawn wouldn't mind showing Buffy around."

"Sure, Mom! When would you like to go?" he asked the small blonde.

"Umm, not tonight. Right now my body thinks it's like two in the morning and is starting desperately to want sleep," she answered as she fought a yawn.

"You couldn't sleep on the flight?" Jonathon inquired innocently.

She hedged, "Uh, no. I can't relax on a plane." At least _that_ part was true – except it's the cramped feeling she gets when she's onboard.

Martha seemed embarrassed for forgetting that Buffy had travelled so far that day. "I'm sorry, Buffy; would you like to head up to bed now?"

Buffy shook her head dismissively, "Nah. It can wait until after dinner. Besides, I can't really sleep good if I don't do my evening Tai Chi."

This caught Clark's attention. "That's a martial art, isn't it?"

She waverer, trying to figure out the best way to explain it. "It's mostly for meditation. But it is good for learning control of your body. Would any of you like to join me?" Then she looked at her sister. "Dawn, have you been doing your katas lately?"

Dawn ducked her head in shame, "Uh, not really. It's sort of hard without someone who knows the steps better and can help when I get mixed up."

Buffy glared at her. "Can you imagine Giles' response if I tried to give him _that_ excuse? We'll work on it until you know the katas good enough to do it alone, 'k?"

She gave her sister a satisfied smile. "Sound good."

Buffy once again pretended not to notice the silent conversations that passed between the Kents that began when she uttered the words 'control of your body.' But this time Dawn caught her sister's look of scrutiny and recognized it. But she didn't understand what it could be about. _She_ hadn't come across anything demony since she got here. She shrugged and decided to ask Buffy about it later.

"So how 'bout you, Clark? Up for some swirly dancing without music?" Buffy asked with a small smirk.

The three Kents all looked at her as if she had blown a fuse. Dawn broke the silence with a loud peal of laughter. That caused Buffy to chuckle. Which lead to them all joining in.

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The first night Buffy had the dream, she just thought she ate one too many brownies before bed.

The second night, the dream went a little bit longer and she started to doubt that chocolately goodness was the cause.

The third and fourth nights, the dream continued to get longer and it began to sink in that something else was going on. The question was _what_? Even if this was a Slayer dream, it usually wasn't about someone _else_. Especially someone – who as far as she knew – didn't have any ties to the supernatural. Even the feeling of 'different-ness' about him and something else on the farm didn't really explain this.

She never could find a good time or way to figure out what that 'different' thing was without being obvious about it. Anytime she asked questions about Clark and what sort of things he did for fun, the Kents got very nervous – although they did a fairly good job of hiding it. But they clearly never tried to hide something from a Slayer before.

And as tempted as she was to just read their minds, she knew that it would be a tremendous breach of trust. Since it didn't feel evil, she didn't see a reason to break that trust…yet. Maybe it would help if she revealed some of _her_ secrets to them. But back to her current problem…

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The dream always started out the same way – much to her dismay. Watching/feeling someone being put into a small crate-like box and another person closing the lid of it. Then there was a feeling of something between a cross of a plane taking off and an elevator rising – more up than forward at first. But when it switched to more forward than up feeling, there was a sudden shockwave of some kind.

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The next night, added to that, was a sudden heat along with a feeling of falling fast and afterward a massive _thunk_! Then the lid opened to a blue sky and the 'someone' felt incredibly strong and healthy for being stuck in that box for so long.

Even in her dream, she shuddered. It brought back too many memories of waking up in her coffin. Fortunately for _this_ person, they didn't have to do any digging to get out.

Then they walked across the ground, which was…_smoking_? After a little while, they came upon this red structure that had creatures in it that were hanging upside down. If this 'someone' were from earth, they might have thought them bats or something. The one with a red plume looked startled at the sight of someone outside the structure and nudged the yellow topped one and made a sound to it. This caused the other one to look in their direction and it _also_ gave a sound of surprise.

The red-plumed one felt nice. Like a protector. The sounds that passed between them started repeating: 'he', 'him', 'boy'. Since these were aimed at them, it must mean that 'he' was this 'boy'. Okay. So the red, soft one wrapped _him_ with something because _he_ didn't have the same kind of covering as they did. The yellow one made sounds of displeasure: '…can't keep him.' But the red one answered with '…he found us.' They must have been deciding what to do with him.

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And the next night, 'he' had a name…Clark. She was dreaming about _Clark_!?! That certainly explained the strange looks the other night and the 'different' feeling he gave her. But that wasn't all. She watched an older 'him' crawl under the dining room table and saw it collapse on him. Before the horror could sink in, the table suddenly rose back up. She bent over to look underneath and saw him sitting there, supporting it with one hand. _Huh!_

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Then the following night, she witnessed an even older 'him' start running across the farmyard to bring something to Jonathon when he unexpectedly ended up in the middle of the field… almost half a mile away. He carefully made his way back and saw the stunned expression on his dad's face. He was worried that they might consider him an even bigger freak now. But they just said that he was unique and he'd have to learn how to control this the same as he did his strength.

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But now it was the fifth night that convinced her to talk to them about it.

This time it was an older than _now_ version of Clark that appeared. He was standing on a bridge when a silver car came racing towards him and knocked him over the edge. She watched as he literally tore the roof off and pulled a bald man who didn't look much older than him out and saved his life. The strange thing was, Clark didn't appear to be hurt at all. Even _she_ would still have bruises that shortly after being hit.

This really disturbed him and, in a fit of aggravation, he shoved his arm into a piece of farm equipment that Jonathon was using to mulch up yard waste. Then Jonathon made the confession that he and Martha didn't get him from 'around here' and showed him the box, which turned out to be a small spaceship hidden in the root cellar. So that was that _other_ source of 'different' here on the farm.

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When she woke from this latest dream, she considered what to do.

Even though it was clear to her that the Kents really loved Clark and this didn't change the way they felt about him, it certainly changed the way he felt about _himself_. She knew from personal experience that he needed someone to walk him through this. When she found out about her Slayer-ness – without knowing what it was – she had many nightmares about ending up in a scientist's lab, being dissected and studied. It was probably going to be the same for him, if it wasn't already.

She moved to get Dawn up; they needed to discuss how much of their secret they wanted to reveal to the Kents. And they _did_ have to share _something_ – if only to put them at ease that they also had secrets that needed to be kept.

Even without Buffy telling her yet what she found out in her dreams, Dawn voted to tell them _everything_, even her former Key status. She trusted the Kents and wanted them to be able to trust the Summers girls. Not holding anything back from them sounded like a good way to do that. Assuming they didn't try to lock them up in the looney ward when they heard it.

Buffy suggested they take it a step at time and not dump everything on them in one sitting. First though, she'd talk to Jonathon and Martha since there was something they were keeping from Clark that she wanted to chat about with them. Hopefully by the time the two teenagers got home from school, they'd be able to start sharing all their secrets.

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A/N: Next…You show me yours and I'll show you mine.


	6. Chapter 4: Show and Tell – Telling, Pt 1

**Chapter 4: Show and Tell – Telling, Part 1**

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. Smallville characters belong to DC Comics & WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: Thanks to my betas for their help...BkwrmDancer, DawnDreamer, AshDawnSoulmates, ktweaver, and Chrislover.

-------------------------------------------

**Kent Farm**

The next morning, a bleary-eyed Dawn said her goodbyes to her sister and Clark's parents. Just before she went out the door, she mouthed 'Good luck!' to Buffy.

Buffy took a deep, nervous breath and let it out slowly. She usually had to _hide_ her secret, not reveal someone else's. "So what's on the agenda for you two today?" she asked.

"Just our regular chores around the farm," Jonathon answered with an easy grin.

She nodded uneasily, "Good. There's some stuff I need to talk to you about and it will probably take a while."

Martha looked at her, suddenly worried. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh, no…not really. At least not from my perspective. I mean, you might not be the happiest about it at first but I'm hoping that once you think about it that you'll be okay with it too," Buffy started babbling. She really should have written this out or something.

"Is this about Dawn? Are you planning on taking her somewhere?" he asked with an edge to his voice. But he was also confused, she didn't _seem_ upset with them or how things were going with her sister.

Buffy's head snapped up in genuine surprise. "What? No! I'm sorry; I'm in mega-ramble mode here. This isn't about guardianship of Dawn – except for now I realize that you two are an even _better_ choice than I first realized," she assured them.

Martha shook her head as if to clear it. "I'm lost. What _is_ this about?"

"This is about secrets. My secrets, Dawn's secrets, your secrets, our secrets…just _secrets_. Before you get all hyper-worried or anything, let me start by telling you that there is very, _very_ little that would surprise Dawn or me," she stated firmly.

"Now I realize that trying to share all of our secrets at one time would just be overwhelming and confusing. So here's what I'm thinking: I'll share some of the highlights of ours – mine and Dawn's – to help you realize that we would understand and maybe be able to _help_ you deal with yours, 'k?" Buffy explained.

Jonathon stated warily, "I'm not sure what you mean." Now he was worried about what she knew, how she knew it and what she was going to do about it.

Buffy just stared at him like he was an idiot – but put in a nicer way. "Sure you do; you're just not sure if you can trust us. That's fine. That's why I'm going first. I don't like to share my secrets any more than you do. Heck, the two times I shared them with my _parents_ it turned out uber-bad. The first time landed me in a nut house when I was 15; the second time, I ended up out on the streets of LA for a few months when I was 17."

"I remember you going to the institution when you were 15; it was some sort of breakdown? But I don't recall hearing about when you were 17," Martha interrupted, alarmed.

"I'm sure Mom wasn't particularly proud of that time. Not to say she was excited about the _first_ one either, but…Anyway, I eventually came back and we talked things out…_kinda_. And she sort of came around. At the very least she didn't deny things anymore," she allowed, willing herself not to get lost in the hurt feelings again.

"So if you had such trouble with _your_ parents, why are you willing to trust us not to react the same way?" Martha asked. She wasn't sure what Buffy was hiding, but if it had caused Joyce and Hank to act that way, she couldn't see why she'd risk that happening again.

Buffy smiled at the two of them. "Simply put, you're better equipped to deal with the…_unusual_."

Jonathon was still alarmed, but he was starting to see that whatever she had planned, it didn't include hurting them…or so he believed. "Why would you think that?"

"Because the dreams I've been having this last week tell me so. I must admit this is a little new to me. Normally, my dreams show me things _I'm_ supposed to handle – or at least _stop_. They aren't usually an episode of 'This is Your Life' – especially someone else's," she trailed off.

Then she got a glimpse at their expressions. "Okay, I see I'm losing you already. Just remember what I said about telling everything all at once. I'll try to keep this as simple as I can. It started shortly after my 15th birthday. I noticed some changes in myself – and not normal puberty-type changes either. I suddenly was faster and stronger than other people. Plus I'd get these nightmarish dreams. At first I didn't have a clue what was going on."

She couldn't stand sitting anymore and started to walk around the kitchen like a caged panther. "That all changed one day after school when a man approached me. He tried to tell me of my destiny…my 'sacred calling'. I tried to convince myself that he was just a pervert, but the more he told me, the more I knew he was right."

"Then he explained that this 'duty': I had to fight the forces of darkness – specifically vampires. I didn't believe him until he took me on my first patrol. There we were, sitting in a cemetery, and out pops a hand from the ground. He told me to stab it through the heart with a stake and it would turn to dust. Only when I did, it didn't. Turns out I missed. Of course, now everyone gets a huge chuckle when they find _that_ out," she smirked.

Buffy leaned on the counter and stared Martha in the eyes, then Jonathon. "So the reason that I was locked up was because this Master vampire named Lothos had come to town and created an army of vampires for himself. They attacked my school's formal dance and in order to destroy them all, I had to torch the gym. Only after getting the survivors out, that is."

"As you can imagine, my explanation didn't go over too well. The one person who could have protected me from the authorities was dead – my first Watcher, Merrick. He was the guy who was supposed to train me and get me ready to fight. He died to save me when Lothos came after me before I was ready," she broke off with a sob.

Jonathon ran his hands over his face and through his hair. "I don't know what to say." _That_ was an understatement. The crazy thing was, he didn't think _she_ was crazy!

Buffy patted his shoulder before returning to her pacing. "Nothing right now. Once I stopped trying to convince them of the truth, they let me out. Only I was still expelled; my folks had split up and no school would take me…at first."

"Eventually, Mom found Sunnydale. What we didn't know was that it was demon central – the place where all the _cool_ bad guys like to hang out and plot to control or destroy the world." She paused for a moment before continuing, "It was there that I met my next Watcher, Giles."

"You mean the _same_ Giles you and Dawn talk about?" Martha interjected, shocked that maybe this could be true. Either that or she was doing a helluva job weaving in other people into her delusions.

Buffy smiled when she thought back to that first meeting. _Strange_. It was easy to remember it now fondly. "Yep! In all his British, tea-drinking glory. My first day at school, he slams a book with the word _'Vampyr'_ written across the front down on the counter of the library. He had managed to get the job of the school's librarian to be close to me."

"He then informed me that they expected me to resume my 'Calling'. The _same_ one that caused all the badness in LA." She scowled when she got to that memory though. "I tried to tell him to shove off, but apparently the Powers That Be had other plans for me. Before I knew it, I had lost one potential friend and dragged two others into my nightmare of a life. We spent the next seven years trying to keep the world from ending – coming uncomfortably close a few times."

"Now you may be wondering why I'm sure your hands aren't itching to grab the phone and call the men with nets. Well, I'm not. I don't know if you've ever come across demons before – even unknowingly. But I _do_ know that you have experience in the out of the ordinary. More specifically…out of the _world_ ordinary."

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A/N2: Next…More telling.


	7. Chapter 5: Show and Tell – Telling, Pt 2

**Chapter 5: Show and Tell – Telling, Part 2**

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. Smallville characters belong to DC Comics & WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: Thanks to my betas for their help...BkwrmDancer, DawnDreamer, AshDawnSoulmates, ktweaver, and Chrislover.

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_Previously…_

"Now you may be wondering why I'm sure your hands aren't itching to grab the phone and call the men with nets. Well, I'm not. I don't know if you've ever come across demons before – even unknowingly. But I _do_ know that you have experience in the out of the ordinary. More specifically…out of the _world_ ordinary."

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**Kent Farm..._still_**

Before they could be too nervous, she started to elaborate, "Now, from my dreams I've been able to piece together the following…keep in mind that some of this is guesswork on my part:

Clark was placed in a small ship and sent away shortly before something destroyed his home.

A while later, he landed here and made his way to you two, who were hanging upside down in your truck at the time.

You found the ship he came in and are hiding it. I'm guessing somewhere here on the farm. _And_ you're hiding it even from Clark – as well as his origins.

Over the years, he's noticed that he's different from other people. Specifically in strength and speed.

What none of you know is that he's invulnerable. At least by human means. One of the dreams I had was of him in the near future getting hit by a speeding car and walking away without a single bruise. Which leads to…

You telling Clark about where you got him from and showing him the ship. That is after he shoved his arm in a piece of farm equipment – breaking it and ripping his shirt, but not getting even a scratch."

Martha and Jonathon sat back in their seats, stunned by her revelations. Martha got her voice back first, "How? We haven't so much as talked to each other about it in years!"

Buffy gave her an understanding smile. "I told you, Aunt Martha; I get dreams that tell me something I should know. The only thing that makes sense as to why I had these dreams is to help you and Clark accept his unique status easier."

"Why would _you_ be able to?" Jonathon asked in a daze.

She almost laughed. "Have you forgotten? I'm the _'One girl in all the world, chosen to fight the vampires'_. I'm like the poster girl for the weird. Now, it's understandable why you kept this from him so far. But he needs to hear this from you _before_ he finds out on his own. Trust me! It's never pretty when someone learns a secret about where they came from and it turns out to be something like this."

Martha noticed the haunted look in her face. "This one of those secret stories that you have that could help us?"

Buffy nodded as she retook her seat. "As a matter of fact, yes. Umm, the best we can figure it, I was an only child until about four years ago."

"What?"

"Huh?"

They declared at the same time. Certainly she couldn't be forgetting her own sister! This day was beginning be become too surreal.

"The _extremely_ condensed version of the story is some monks had to hid something very important and chose to send it to me. As added incentive to keep it safe, they used magick to transform it into a human and made her my sister. Then they tacked on memories of her 'life' with us," she added bitterly.

"I found out, but didn't tell Dawnie right away. But she found out anyway and freaked. She walked into the living room with blood dripping down her arms, grasping a knife. The idea that she was this mystical _thing_ that was shoved into our lives made her feel the need to prove she was really human. _That's_ how I know he needs to hear it from you first," she explained with pleading in her voice.

"But you said he couldn't be hurt," Jonathon held out for a lifeline of any kind. How could they explain this to Clark? Would he forgive them for keeping it from him for so long?

"Not _physically_. And I'm not sure there's _no_ way, just that it didn't seem like there was a _human_ way. But – using another story – physical is only one way to get hurt. Emotionally and psychologically are two that he _could_ be vulnerable to."

Martha put her hand on Buffy's to comfort her as she obviously seemed distraught. "And what's this story?"

She took a moment to compose herself before explaining, "A few months after Mom died, we had a major battle to save the world, during which I died. As in: buried, mourned and left in peace…until a few months later when my friends brought me back."

Then she rushed on before they could ask any questions, "They thought that because of _how_ I died, that I might have been sent to a hell dimension. Unfortunately they were wrong and they tore me out of heaven. Anyway, after that, I was pretty screwed up."

"Being the Slayer, it's hard to damage myself physically for long, but that couldn't be said for my heart or mind. I engaged in some very self-destructive behavior for about a year before realizing that all I was doing was making my life more of a hell than it already was," she finished as she looked up.

Buffy grabbed both of their hands, hoping to convince them. "It would be better if Clark didn't have to suffer in any way close to what I did if we can help it. The situations aren't the same, but the responses might be. Hopefully, if he knows that he's not the only freak around, it will make it easier for him to deal."

"I haven't told Dawn the details, but she knows something is up and gave me permission to share our secrets, in particular, hers. What you tell Clark is up to you and I won't go against your wishes. But I strongly urge you to give him the truth. There's a reason I've had these dreams and I'm betting it's to help him."

She stood to go outside for some Tai Chi. "I'll leave you two to talk for now, but I'll be right outside, 'k?" They nodded numbly and she walked out quietly.

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A/N: Cutting it off here. It is already way longer than I'd like. Section, not chapter. Remember that they'll share things as they come up, or maybe as a nightly ritual for the next year. Who knows? Unless it's important to the story, I won't go through it though.

A/N2: Next…Some showing of 'Show and Tell' along with _more_ telling.


	8. Chapter 6: Show and Tell Showing

**Chapter 6: Show and Tell, Now for the Showing**

Warning: Non-friendly feelings for Willow and Xander, but shouldn't matter much unless I feel the need to mention them. For now they are just not in the story.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. Smallville characters belong to DC Comics & WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: Thanks to my betas for their help...BkwrmDancer, DawnDreamer, AshDawnSoulmates, ktweaver, and Chrislover.

A/N2: Okay, I've debated about this chapter for too long now and have decided just to bite the bullet and hope it isn't too much of a letdown for you.

-------------------------------------------

**Kent Farm**

The rest of the day was spent by showing some of their secrets. Buffy displayed her basic Slayer abilities and the Kents showed her the ship and the artifact with strange writing. She thought it looked familiar, but couldn't place it.

Finally, Dawn and Clark made their way up the driveway. She caught her big sister's eye the second she walked in. Buffy just gave a small smile and nod, which Dawn returned with a sigh of relief. She was dying to find out what Buffy had discovered here that she had missed.

Jonathon waved his son to the living room. "Clark, come here and sit down, son."

Looking at his parents, Clark asked nervously, "Did I do something wrong, Dad?"

"Of course not, Clark. We just need to speak to you," Martha reassured him.

"Okay…about what?" he inquired as he sat on the sofa next to Buffy. Dawn sat on the other side of her sister and the Kents sat together on the arm chair.

His parents looked at Buffy and she nodded encouragingly. That wasn't missed by the young alien. It only served to strengthen his worry and confusion.

Finally, Jonathon took a deep breath and began, "About where you come from. _And_ some surprises about your cousins."

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An hour later, the teens were processing what the adults had just finished telling them. Dawn was having a decidedly easier time of it, though, than Clark was. He was silently freaking out that he was an alien! From another planet! And--

Before he got any farther in his thoughts, he heard his cousin exclaim in excitement, "Hey! I just realized that this means the freaks outnumber the normal people in this family now! Not to mention that someone else has almost as strange of an origin as _I_ do!"

Buffy smiled warmly at her little sister for dispelling the tension in the room, but opted to tease her anyway. "Yeah. Almost, but not quite. I think 'glowing green mystical energy' still beats out alien boy. I mean for him, it's just like coming from another country…only from farther away."

Jonathon and Martha watched as the despair that had been settling on their son's face get washed away by the humor the sisters were interjecting into the situation. When they saw him grin, a giant weight lifted off their shoulders. So far this seemed to be going very well.

Dawn stuck her tongue out before going back to her bouncy excitement and started babbling, "Hey, if he's a space traveler, that means he should have a ship. Does he? Where is it? What does it look like? Does it smell like the Queller demon's did? Clark's much better looking than the last alien we met – even if it turned out to be a demon alien – don'tcha think, Buffy?"

Kents yelled in unison, "_Last_ alien?!?"

Martha looked at Buffy with mildly accusing eyes. "You never said anything about meeting an alien before."

Buffy shrugged off the accusation when she replied, "That's because it wasn't anything like Clark. It was this disgusting, slimy thing that ate people who had mental problems – usually brought on by the Big Bad I was fighting at the time. But it went after Mom just after her surgery. Like Dawn said, it was more demon than alien."

"_Do_ I have a ship?" Clark wanted to know.

Jonathon smiled at his son. "Not one that I think you'd fit in anymore, but yes. It's in the root cellar. There was also this…artifact?" He looked at Buffy for the right word and she shrugged. "It has this strange writing on it. We tried deciphering it, but it doesn't match any known human language."

"If it's okay with you guys, I'd like to ask Giles – and _only_ him – if he can translate it. That is if Dawnie can't. She has a knack for languages that I think will go past Giles' in time. It may have something to do with the residual effects of her Key-ness. Or maybe just because she'd just that smart," Buffy said with pride in her voice.

Dawn blushed. "Not that I'm not enjoying the praise, but could we go see the ship now?"

Clark nodded his agreement, "Yeah, I'd kinda like to see it too."

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**Root Cellar**

They made their way down the cellar steps and went to the tarp-covered object in the back. As they got closer, Clark began to feel a hum under his skin. He felt it when he came down here before, but the difference was that now he knew what was causing it.

He pulled the sheet off and both he and Dawn gasped at the sight. Neither one could resist running their hands over the sleek ship.

When Dawn came across the writing, there was a flicker of recognition in her eyes. "This looks familiar somehow, but I'm not sure. I'll have to study it some more," she told the others. They all had hopeful expressions that some of their questions could be answered by the young brunette.

After they had looked at the ship in the cellar and the artifact back in the house, Buffy dragged Clark outside to test him out a little. She knew from her own experience that abilities without discipline could be dangerous, and she didn't want her cousin to learn that the hard way. Not when she was around to keep it from happening.

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**Inside the barn**

Buffy looked over at Clark. "Okay cuz, your folks say that you're strong and fast. Let's see how much. First, let's try bending some metal, 'k?"

Clark shrugged as he picked up a scrap of railing that they used to fortify the fencing in places around the farm. He easily twisted and untwisted it. Once the metal cooled down, Buffy took it and did the same – much to his shock. So he looked for a thicker piece to try but this time had her do it first. This continued for a couple more times until she finally was only able to bend a piece slightly. He took it from her hands and smugly weaved it into a complex pattern. He found it fun to actually _compete_ with someone for once.

She just rolled her eyes internally at his show-offness. "Good, but we'll have to try and see if _you_ have a limit as well. For now I think we should test your speed. See how it stacks up to mine."

Knowing how fast he could go, Clark smirked, figuring he could beat his cousin at this too. It wasn't like he was really this competitive normally, but since she was close in ability to him, it felt good to let loose. "Where would you like to race to?" he asked.

Buffy didn't miss his smirk and knew she had to take him down a peg, just to teach him a lesson. "I think the coffeehouse on 6th in Metropolis – across from the hospital – is a good place. We'll race there, get a cup, and come back. The cup will be proof that we went all the way there," she added with a wink at her sister.

Dawn took the scarf from her hair and stood between her sister and cousin, acting like one of those girls from the 50's drag race movies. Ignoring the snickers of the adults, she dramatically signaled the beginning of the race. Clark took off like a shot while Buffy just stood there for a couple seconds.

Before Jonathon or Martha could say anything, she disappeared in her cloud of orbs, taking Dawn along for the ride. Minutes later, the two Summers girls came back the same way, holding four cups of coffee.

Buffy handed one of the cups to Martha and Dawn did the same. "Dawnie said she knew how you took your coffee, so if it's wrong, blame her."

"What was that?" Jonathon demanded, waving his free hand around.

"You mind waiting until Clark comes back so I only have to explain it once?" she asked. When they said that they could wait, she smiled. "Great! Let's take a seat and enjoy our coffee then."

It wasn't long before they felt the wind of Clark's return sweeping into the yard. His eyes widened with shock when he saw them all sitting there drinking coffee from the coffeehouse. "What? How did you manage to beat me?" he sputtered out.

Setting down her cup, Buffy stood to look Clark in the eye as best she could given their height differences. "Lesson number one of the game, cuz: there's _always_ someone better than you at _something_ out there. You have to be careful not to get too full of yourself," she warned him.

Clark had the grace to look chastised. "Okay. I got it. I was acting like a jerk earlier," he apologized.

Buffy smiled at him to let him knew she wasn't bugged by it. "Don't worry; it's natural. Another thing to keep in mind is: natural ability is no substitute for training. Training may save your life someday. Remember, we don't know yet if there's anything out there that can take away your powers or maybe even kill you. I know there are things that can take away mine and knowing how to fight without them helps to keep me from panicking."

-------------------------------------------

The next few days were spent teaching Clark to better master his abilities. He and Buffy sparred, and even though he had superior strength, she was still able to take him down a few times using her own powers. Clark found it a very humbling and even frightening experience.

Jonathon and Martha were worried by the lessons too, but felt better knowing that they all had the Summers sisters to help guide them. They didn't know what they would do without them. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to find out.

-------------------------------------------

A/N: Next…Someone needs a favor.


	9. Chapter 7: Needing a Favor

**Chapter 7: Needing a Favor**

Warning: Non-friendly feelings for Willow and Xander, but it shouldn't matter much unless I feel the need to mention them. For now they are just not in the story.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. Smallville characters belong to DC Comics & WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: Thanks to my betas for their help...BkwrmDancer, DawnDreamer, AshDawnSoulmates, ktweaver, Chrislover and Zoe.

----------------------------------

**Kent Farm**

Buffy and Clark had just finished their latest sparring match when Tara orbed in, surprising the Kents and Dawn. Especially the younger Summers, as she thought her old friend was dead. Buffy took charge of the situation and introduced them, "Guys, this is my friend Tara who became a whitelighter after her death a year and a half ago. Tara, these are my cousins, Jonathan and Martha Kent, and their son Clark."

Dawn gasped out, "Tara?" She turned on Buffy. "How long have you known she was alive?"

"Since Sunnydale. She and Leo have been teaching me about being a whitelighter. I was having her join me on my visits to let you all know about her new status. But you were supposed to wait for me to call for you," she told her friend with a mildly reproving tone.

Buffy noticed the look on Tara's face and went out onto the porch with her. "What's wrong?"

Checking to make sure that the others weren't listening in, Tara whispered, "I got a message from Doyle. He has a favor to ask of you."

"What does he need?" Buffy asked in confusion. If Doyle needed something, why didn't he just ask her himself?

"Cordy's in a coma. She has been since that Jasmine thing in LA," the blonde whitelighter explained,

"But I thought Angel said she'd fallen," Buffy replied, still mixed up. Then she looked exasperated. "What a shmuck! He couldn't have just said that she was in a coma? He had to make me think she died?"

Tara shrugged, "Who knows, but anyway, it's a mystical coma and because of that, her soul is stuck and can't move on. And no one can figure out how to heal her."

Thinking over their options, Buffy checked the obvious, "What about one of us?"

"That's where you come in. The Elders have forbidden any whitelighter from attempting to heal her because of that whole separation thing. But Doyle was hoping that since you aren't technically one of us yet, that you could give it a shot," Tara suggested hopefully. "And to keep _Them_ off track, he asked me to ask you instead of coming himself. He figured that they would be watching him."

"I certainly don't mind trying. But I haven't really done any healing this extensive yet – just mostly cuts and scrapes from slaying," Buffy warned her friend.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to convince her friend that she was more powerful than she gave herself credit for, Tara just let it slide and instead commented, "But it's better than nothing, which is what she has now."

"Alright, just let me tell the others where I'm going. Would you like to stick around and catch up with Dawn? Plausible Deniability and everything?" Buffy offered, knowing that her baby sis would love the chance to catch up with the kind-hearted girl.

Tara just smiled and nodded. Her smile faltered just a little when she remembered some words that she wanted to have with the younger Summers. She had already gone through this with Giles, but knew that Dawn needed to be set straight as well about how Buffy was treated those last days in Sunnydale.

----------------------------------

**Hospital, LA**

Slipping into Cordy's room, Buffy gently sat on the foot of her bed with her ankles tucked under her legs. She figured that this was her best shot – if she really had one. And she decided to test out her new power by attempting to ease into Cordy's mind. Like with Tara, she imagined it as a house and knocked.

After a few minutes, the door swung open with a confused looking Cordy standing there. "Buffy?" she checked.

Buffy gave a small smile. "Hey Cord, bet you're wondering what I'm doing here."

Cordy swung around in a circle, taking in her surroundings before turning back to the blonde Slayer. "Actually, I'm trying to figure out where 'here' is right now."

"Can I come in? This will take a while." Cordy stepped back to let her pass. Once they sat down on the sofa in the living room, Buffy asked, "What was the last thing you remember before opening the door?"

"I was in my vehicle, driving to go meet Angel--" the seer abruptly stopped when she realized what she was about to reveal and to whom. She had her differences with Buffy, but had grown past the need to rub her successes in the blonde's face.

Guessing what her hesitation might be, Buffy smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, I know that you two were growing closer."

Now alarmed, Cordy demanded to know, "What do you mean '_were_ growing closer'?"

"Well, since the time that you ascended to become a higher being, it's been about a year and a half. You know, the word 'ascended' should have set off major alarms with everyone since the only mention that we know of is demonic in nature," Buffy lightly scolded her old classmate.

Putting her face in her hands, Cordy choked out, "You mean that it wasn't a legitimate offer?"

Buffy patted her shoulder in sympathy. "Sorry."

Cordy stood up and screamed, "Damn that Skip! If I ever see him again, he is so dead! I should have known when he said I couldn't say goodbye to Angel."

Tugging on the other girl's arm to get her attention, Buffy motioned for her to sit down so she could fill her in, "Here's what I know of what's happened since then: you came back, but had an evil toy surprise inside. One that seduced Connor so that you could have his 'kid' who was this goddess-type chick named Jasmine. She used the illusion of love and peace to try to conquer the world, until someone called Fred saw through her disguise and helped the others break free of her mind control. Unfortunately, the process of giving birth put you into a mystical coma that you've been in since."

Catching up to what was said, the brunette screeched, "Wait a second! I slept with Connor? That's a whole world of ewww!" Cordy fought the urge to hurl – not sure if she was able to wherever they were right now.

Unable to stop her own shudders, Buffy gave her a rueful smile, "I'm guessing that's what everyone was thinking – except for Connor of course. Now some stuff has been going on with me as well."

Cordy snorted at the understatement, "No kidding. You're looking much better than how Angel described you when you got back from hell."

Buffy bit her lip, realizing just how much she had to explain. "Actually, I wasn't in hell. I was in a transitional place while my spirit healed enough for my new destiny. Before that could happen, they pulled me out. At the time, I thought I had been taken out of heaven."

"And you didn't tell Angel?" she asked in shock. She wasn't sure how she felt about this. On one hand, it made it clear that whatever was between Buffy and Angel was over now. On the other hand, he would be very hurt by this.

Looking down at her hands folded in her lap, Buffy said softly, "To be honest, I was hurt by the fact that he seemed too busy to care one way or the other. Not to mention the fact that no one even considered the possibility that I would end up in heaven. I mean, when Angel went to hell through Acathla, his body went too. But my body remained behind when I died. It seemed like it should have been something to check out."

Caught off-guard by the pain in the blonde's voice, Cordy managed her own understatement, "Wow, I don't know what to say."

Buffy just shrugged, "Whatever, it's past now. But this new destiny that I was supposed to have includes the power to heal people. At least sometimes. It's not a guaranteed thing and I'm still pretty new at it," she tried to explain.

"So you died again?" Cordy guessed, trying to catch up with everything.

"No. There was this big ol' battle and the prize at the end was me getting my own destiny, free of any outside interference until I died. But as a bonus, I'd get the powers I was _supposed_ to have before – as well as some others. One of which I'm using right now to talk to you," Buffy explained.

"What do you mean?"

Looking hesitant, Buffy murmured, "I entered your mind to talk to you."

Wrinkling her nose in distaste, Cordy inquired, "You mean like during that 'aspect of the demon' thing in high school?"

"Sorta, but more involved than that. Instead of just reading random thoughts, I can focus on an individual and either send or receive messages from them," Buffy clarified, decidedly uncomfortable with the topic.

Cordy chuckled, "Man, I bet the Scoobies are having some serious flashbacks with this."

Paling, the Slayer quickly said, "Actually, we've gone our separate ways, but we can talk about that after you decide what you want to do."

Seeing the pain and discomfort on the other girl's face, Cordy decided to let her curiosity simmer for a little bit. "I don't understand."

Buffy sighed. "Even though I'm not entirely sure it would work, I could just try to heal you. Or – if you wanted – I could attempt to help free you from this prison your spirit is in while your body lies in a hospital. I don't know how I know it, but I feel the knowledge coming to me about how to release your spirit. My guess is that it's another of those wacky powers that I have to learn about. But it should be _your_ decision, not mine."

"What does Angel say about this?" the seer wanted to know.

"He doesn't know I'm here," Buffy replied, resigning herself to having to tell the brunette about everything, including Doyle.

Confused, she remarked, "I thought he was the one to tell you about me."

Shaking her head, Buffy corrected her, "He said that you had 'fallen' during the fight with Jasmine. I took that to mean that you had died. It was only when I got word through a friend that you were alive and in this condition that I came to check things out."

"What friend?"

Yep, she had to tell her now. "Doyle. When he died, he became what I was supposed to…a whitelighter."

Surprised by this new information, Cordy was still a little hurt that she had to ask, "Then why doesn't _he_ heal me?"

With an expression of disgust, the Slayer/whitelighter went on to clear it up as best she could, "Because there are barriers separating the Slayer-type supernatural world from the whitelighter one and he is forbidden to interfere. Since I'm in both but neither, I'm not restricted like he is. So the question remains, do you want to go on to the afterlife and whatever is waiting for you there? Or do you want to go back to your mortal life? I need to warn you that even if you pick living, I may not be able to do it. All I can promise is that I'll do my best."

"If I died, would I become a whitelighter?" Cordy inquired, wondering about her afterlife.

Buffy shook her head in neutral fashion, not as a sign of a negative answer, "I don't know. Not every good person does. My guess is that only an Elder or the Angel of Destiny could tell you that. And since I'm doing this without the approval of the Elders, I'd recommend not asking them."

Thinking about the life she left behind and how long they had been without her, Cordy needed to know, "How are Angel and the others doing without me?"

Turning her head in an obvious show of discomfort, Buffy damned Angel for having to tell Cordy this. "Umm, the last time I talked to them, they were getting settled in at Wolfram & Hart."

Not surprisingly, the former queen of Sunnydale High was outraged. "_What_?!?"

"My thoughts exactly. Apparently when they stopped Jasmine, the bad guys were so grateful that they gave Angel control of the LA branch as a thank you."

"And he took it?" Cordy couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she didn't think that Buffy would lie to her about this.

Buffy's face showed her feelings on the matter as well. "Yeah, I don't know. Oh! One other thing I should probably mention is that Angel is human again. When he came to Sunnydale to give me an amulet to help me with my apocalypse, he went through the demon trials. We were sort of hoping for a way to make his soul permanent and he ended up getting his Shanshu."

"'We'? As in you and him?" Suddenly, Cordy was no longer sure that her former rival was _former_ anymore.

Buffy smirked at the clear jealously, but felt no need to make Cordy suffer. "As in me and the others, as well as him. Some new friends were going to help me with superglue-ing his soul and we spoke to Jenny Calendar who told us about the trials. When Spike went through them, he got his soul back. But the risk you take is that you don't know what your reward will be until you get it – just that it is a good thing, not evil."

Still suspicious, Cordy narrowed her eyes. "So you're not interested in being with him now that he's human?"

With a sad look on her face, Buffy explained, "I wasn't interested in him before. Things have changed for me and I don't think that he can see me as anything other than that little girl back in Sunnydale. He just made one too many decisions concerning the two of us without checking with me first. I can be his friend, but I can't love him like that anymore."

Cordy bit her lip as she thought about the two men she loved. She honestly was on her way to falling in love with Angel, but the chance of trying to be with him when he was at Wolfram & Hart just wasn't very appealing. Then there was Doyle…the funny half-demon who also was getting close to winning her heart. His sacrifice finished what he couldn't while he was alive: proving that he was someone worthy of love. "What about Doyle? If I asked to live again, would I get to see him again?"

Buffy shook her head. "He's keeping away from Angel – my guess is that he's a little disappointed in him. We've talked a few times. But I happen to know that he's going to be working closely with my new friends pretty soon. I'm willing to bet that as long as you don't say anything to Angel, he'd be thrilled to see you again. He still cares a lot about you," she offered gently.

Making her decision, Cordy wanted to check one more thing, "Do you think that I could go where he is? If they are really working with Wolfram & Hart, I don't think I can stay with Angel and the others."

"Depends, how are you at changing diapers?" Buffy asked, remembering some her most recent conversations with her San Francisco friends.

Now Cordy was clearly lost. "Huh? I helped out with Connor before he went to Quor-Toth. What difference does that make?"

"One of those friends is going to have a baby. And they are the 'Slayers' of their world – meaning that this kid is going to have a bull's-eye on it from the moment anyone finds out. They are going to need help, and I know that they are looking for a nanny that knows about the supernatural. That also means that you would be working with Doyle, since he'd be the kid's whitelighter," Buffy added as enticement.

Cordy nodded her head, sure of what she wanted now. "Then I think I'd like you to try and heal me."

Buffy felt the need to warn her, "You understand that you still might die?"

"Better than being trapped here. Just so we're clear about this, if you can't heal me, set me free. Got it?" Cordy double-checked.

"Alright. It's probably best if I do this from the outside, so I'd better get out now. I really hope this works. Not just for you, but for Doyle. He means a lot to me and seeing you again would make him so happy." Buffy felt the need to explain why she was doing this.

"If it doesn't, can you tell him that I love him? Then hit him for waiting too long to make a move?" Cordy added with an annoyed expression.

Buffy laughed. "My pleasure. See you on the outside."

Impulsively, Cordy reached for the blonde to give her a hug. "Thanks…for everything."

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A/N: Next…Waking Cordy.


	10. Chapter 8: Waking Up Cordy

**Chapter 8: Waking Up Cordy**

Warning: Non-friendly feelings for Willow and Xander, but it shouldn't matter much unless I feel the need to mention them. For now they are just not in the story.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. Smallville characters belong to DC Comics & WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: Thanks to my betas for their help...BkwrmDancer, DawnDreamer, AshDawnSoulmates, ktweaver, Chrislover and Zoe.

----------------------------------

**Hospital, LA**

When she came out of her trance, Buffy opened her eyes to see Angel, Wesley and three others that she didn't recognize standing there – one of whom was clearly a demon, even with his 'disguise'.

Shaking her head to clear it, Buffy inquired, "Ah, hi guys. What's up?"

Angel's eyes narrowed at the sight of his ex with his current love interest. "Why don't you tell us? The hospital called to say that Cordy had a visitor who was just sitting on her bed, meditating."

Buffy moved off the bed and stretched as she took in the three people she didn't know. "Who are your new friends?"

"This is Gunn, Fred and Lorne," Angel introduced with a hint of exasperation.

Needing to know their loyalties, the Slayer asked, "Are they pre-Jasmine friends or post?"

"Pre. What difference does that make?" Wesley answered, surprised by the changes in his former charge. Angel said precious little about what happened while he was in Sunnydale – except to tell them that he received his Shanshu.

Buffy quirked an eyebrow at them, as if to say _'Are you kidding?' _before she answered, "Because if they are from the evil law firm, I wouldn't explain myself in front of them."

Angel glared at her unspoken accusation. "I told you what we are doing there. I wish you'd trust me that we know what we are doing."

"I trust that you have good intentions. But I also recognize the dangers of what you are doing. And quite honestly, I'm afraid that the chances of you being corrupted by the power they are offering is much greater than that of you taking them down from the inside. This isn't like trying to get in the Mayor's inner circle," she pointed out.

Wanting to stop this before it erupted into a fight, Wesley interjected, "So can you tell us since we are from before Jasmine?"

Shrugging, Buffy started to talk, "I guess so. I got word that Cordy was stuck in a mystical coma. Since I received healing powers after my fight in Sunnydale, I thought I'd come see if I could do anything about it."

"If you had these powers all this time, why didn't you come before?" Fred asked with bright eyes. The thought that Cordy could have woken up months ago felt like a slap in the face. She thought this Buffy was supposed to be a good person.

"Partially because I had to learn to use them. But _mostly_ because I didn't know about her condition before this," Buffy added with a glare at her ex. "You know Angel, when you tell me that someone has 'fallen' in a battle, that tends to make me think they _died_!"

The others turned and yelled at the former vampire, "You told her _what_?"

Embarrassed, Angel tried to justify his actions, "Sorry, I just didn't see what difference it would make since there was nothing anyone could do about it. So you think that you can help her?"

Looking down at her fallen classmate, Buffy gave a hesitant shrug. "I don't know. But I asked her what she wanted and she wants me to try."

"What do you mean? How did you ask her?" Gunn wanted to know.

Buffy smiled back at the group. "That whole meditation thing I was doing. I went into her mind and was talking to her. The last thing she remembers was Skip offering her a chance to become a higher being."

"So nothing about the past year and a half?" Angel asked, not sure what answer he was hoping for.

But Buffy wasn't on the fence about it. "No thank goodness. She seemed really squicked by the whole Connor thing."

Wesley asked in confusion, "What Connor thing? Who's Connor?"

"What do you mean, _'Who's Connor?'_" Buffy demanded, her eyes narrowing on her ex.

Angel quickly deflected her question, not wanting to let the cat out of the bag, "We can talk about that later. First, can you take care of Cordy?"

Against her better judgment, Buffy agreed, "Yeah, I can try. But we _will_ talk. Now I'll need everyone to leave the room while I do this. I've never tried anything this big before and will need no distractions."

Not that he didn't trust her, Gunn wanted to know they could trust her. "Can Lorne read you first? Make sure you're on the up and up?"

"Depends on how he would do that," Buffy replied cautiously.

"You'd sing for him and he'd be able to sense things about you," Angel told her.

Nodding, Buffy checked, "What if he senses things I don't want anyone to know?"

Lorne didn't need to hear her sing to know she was trustworthy, he could see her aura already – clear as the horns on his head. He just wanted to listen to her anyway. "As long as they aren't a danger to us, I'll keep it to myself."

"Then if you'll excuse the two of us?" She motioned the others to the door.

----------------------------------

After they left the room, she locked the door for privacy.

Buffy knew that he was friends with Angel, but she wanted to be sure _she_ could trust him as well. "Would you permit me the same opportunity?"

Lorne looked surprised. "Angel-cakes never told me you could read people."

Smiling at the term of endearment, Buffy explained, "That's 'cause it's a new thing. I'm not ready to share that information with everyone right now. For one thing, it would make them very uncomfortable around me," she told him, thinking he would get where she was coming from.

He nodded his agreement. "Understandable. So how do you want to do this?"

Buffy reached out for him and said, "Just give me your hand and close your eyes."

She went through the same motions as before and when they came out, Lorne looked at her with shock. "Why did you knock before entering?"

"Because it would be rude of me to force my way it. So now that I know I can trust you, what would you like me to sing?" Buffy asked.

Sitting in the chair next to Cordy, Lorne readied himself for some quality entertainment. "Whatever your little heart desires, cupcake."

"Uh, well, a few weeks ago Norah Jones sang at my friends' night club and one of her songs really stuck with me." She started singing with a sultry voice that was in complete contrast of her bimbo-blonde, cheerleader image.

'_Lonestar where are you out tonight?_

_This feeling I'm trying to fight_

_It's dark and I think that I would give anything_

_For you to shine down on me_

_How far you are I just don't know_

_The distance I'm willing to go_

_I pick up a stone that I cast to the sky_

_Hoping for some kind of sign.'"_

When she finished singing, Lorne looked stunned. "Oh, sweetie, that was incredible!"

Blushing, Buffy pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Thanks. Did it give you what you needed from me?"

Lorne gave her a huge grin that looked incredibly friendly – in spite of his demonic features. "All except an encore. I can tell the others you're on the level. Did you want to know what I saw about your future?" he asked.

She shook her head, "I don't think so. Can I change my mind later if I get a case of the curious?"

"Sure, as long as you promise to sing again for me, dollface. Your voice is like a soothing wind on my mind. That isn't always the case," he added conspiratorially.

Buffy laughed outright at that confession. "I'm guessing that Angel isn't one of your favorite singers. I overheard him singing to himself once."

Nodding, Lorne started for the door. "I'll let myself out so you can do your thing with the Princess here."

"What? She was demoted from Queen C?"

"You can ask her about it later," he said enigmatically.

"Yeah, if this works," Buffy muttered.

Lorne gave her an optimistic smile. "Not to worry there."

Buffy gave one last warning, "Just make sure everyone stays out and keeps quiet, 'k?"

----------------------------------

Lorne slipped out and she quickly re-locked the door and this time slipped a chair under the handle. It probably wouldn't keep them out, but it might slow them down long enough for Buffy to warn Cordy of their presence.

She stood there and studied the brunette lying on the bed, trying to think of the best way to attempt the healing. Finally, she opted to prop the other girl into a sitting position and sat back on the bed in her previous stance. Then she held both of Cordy's hands in her own and tried to focus all her healing energies. She lost track of time, but eventually began to feel a shift in her old classmate's life-force. She kept up her channeling as that life-force grew stronger. Suddenly, she opened her eyes in time to watch Cordy do the same.

In true Queen C fashion, she snapped, "Took you long enough." She hadn't noticed the passage of time before Buffy came to her before, but she did once the blonde left.

Buffy chuckled. "Sorry, first I had to prove myself to Angel and the others that I wasn't here to hurt you. I kicked them out of the room so I could let you know they were here. The reason I gave them was that I needed to concentrate – which was true. By the way, something weird is up with them. Only Angel seems to know who Connor is. I told him we'd talk about it later. Just thought you should know."

"Thanks for the heads-up about both things. Did you tell them about my plans to join your friends?" As Cordy finished talking, there was a knocking on the door as someone tried to rattle the handle. Angel called out to let them know he heard Cordelia's voice.

Buffy shook her head, both at his impatience and to answer Cordy's question. "I thought I'd leave that to you if it was necessary."

Taking a deep breath, Cordy waved at Buffy like a mistress addressing her servant. "Well, let's get this over with. Open the door…please," she tacked on belatedly.

"Wow, you _have_ changed," Buffy answered with a smirk.

----------------------------------

Queen C was shocked to hear of the falling out of the Scoobies and what happened to Willow and Xander. Her more vicious side felt reincarnation was too good for them after what they pulled, but she understood Buffy's choice to give them a second chance. Hopefully they would make the best of it this time and not blow it.

Buffy was never so happy to get away as she was after the big blowout. When she'd had enough, she told Cordy to call when she was ready to go. She waved her goodbyes to the others and left as fast as her orbs could take her. Man, was Cordy letting them have it! Buffy left it up to her former rival to find out what happened to Connor and fill her in.

Then there was Lorne and his reading to think about. He obviously knew something was coming up for the Slayer/whitelighter, and soon. She was wondering if she should have taken him up on his offer to tell her. Shaking her head, Buffy decided that it was better left unsaid. She would find out soon enough. No need in making it one of those self-fulfilling prophecies.

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A/N: Next…Saying goodbye and starting over.


	11. Chapter 9: The Trouble With Magick

**Chapter 9: The Trouble With Magick**

Warning: Now that Buffy has told someone what happened to Willow and Xander, they are no longer a concern for this story. Otherwise, just the generic warning for possible language.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. Smallville characters belong to DC Comics & WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: Thanks to my betas for their help...BkwrmDancer, DawnDreamer, AshDawnSoulmates, ktweaver, and Chrislover.

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**Smallville**

Pouncing on her sister as soon as she orbed in, Dawn demanded, "Well, Buffy, did you do it?"

Buffy smiled at Dawn and Tara, then remarked casually, "Queen C is awake and busy reaming Team Angel out for taking over Wolfram & Hart. Believe me, it's not as much fun to watch as it sounds. I told her to call me when she's ready to take off. It should be in a day or so, I think."

"She's not staying with them?" Tara inquired, somewhat surprised. She thought there was something going on between Cordy and Angel.

"Nope, she's going to be Piper and Leo's new nanny. That is, if I can convince _them_," Buffy quickly amended.

Tara cocked her head to the side to study her blonde friend. "You remember that Doyle is going to be the child's whitelighter, don't you?" she checked.

"Of course! Why do you think I suggested it? Just don't tell him; she has a few words for our dear Irish friend," Buffy told Tara with a sinister grin.

"Oh dear. Why do I suddenly feel worried for his safety?" the whitelighter replied softly, somewhat concerned about the look in Buffy's eye.

Dawn just smirked. She heard the story about Doyle's heroic death. "'Cause you know he deserves it for not telling her how he felt until _just_ before he died? I mean, it's perfectly romantic and everything, but what was she supposed to do with that?"

"Exactly her point!" Buffy agreed. Then she looked at the two girls and asked, "So, did you two have a chance to catch up?"

"Yep. And Tara made sure to tell me how disappointed she was for the way I treated you," Dawn answered, biting her lip to keep from tearing up again.

Buffy shot a reproving look at Tara before hugging her sister. "That's in the past, guys. Besides, Dawn's already apologized."

But Tara refused to back down on this. "Except…in order to keep it from happening again, she needed to understand what almost happened because of their careless words and actions."

She knew the whitelighter had a point, but it pained Buffy to remember that time. So she did what she did best: changed the subject, "How are the cousins doing? They have any new questions yet?"

"Just wondering when you can orb them somewhere," Dawn said with a hopeful expression. She really enjoyed orbing before and couldn't wait to do it again.

Thinking for a second, Buffy decided to kill two birds with one stone. Metaphorically speaking that is, 'cause killing birds was just wrong. "Tara? You think you can manage Jonathan and Martha? I'll take Clark and Dawn. We can go see the sisters for dinner, and I can ask them about Cordy."

Dawn started bouncing on her feet in excitement. "Oh, can we?"

"I should be able to. Better call to make sure they're up for company, though," Tara warned, reminding Buffy that the manor had its fair share of problems.

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**The Halliwell Manor, San Francisco**

The sisters were excited to see Buffy again – even though she only left a few weeks ago. They also were looking forward to meeting the rest of her family, but were surprised that they were told about the supernatural. Something must have happened to them; because part of the reason Buffy sent Dawn there was so that she could try to have as normal of a life as possible.

But when they orbed into the manor, Clark felt a little light-headed, and was surprised when Buffy's playful punch actually hurt. Unfortunately, she caught his wince and asked him about it.

"It's nothing; the orbing just threw me off a bit," Clark replied as nonchalantly as possible.

Jonathan narrowed his eyes anyway. "Clark, we all were off-balance, but it shouldn't weaken you like that." He turned to Buffy for confirmation. "Right?"

Buffy shook her head. "Hasn't happened before that I know of. Maybe we found something that can weaken you, Clark. We should probably get this figured out, so we can counter it if necessary," she added thoughtfully.

Now Martha looked worried. "What do you mean?"

"If the bad guys found out Clark was vulnerable to orbing, they might be able to use it against him," Buffy tried to explain.

"I thought you said whitelighters were good guys," Jonathan growled, alarmed that his son's secret might have been revealed to people who could hurt him.

Leo rushed to assure the man, "We are; but there are other magical beings that get around in ways similar to orbing. If he's weakened by _any_ magical teleporting, we should know ahead of time. Unfortunately, all we have are whitelighters."

Everyone was silent for a moment, then Paige suddenly blurted out, "What about the leprechauns? They owe us a favor, right?"

"Leprechauns? You've got to be kidding!" Clark stared at the manor residents in shock.

Paige smirked, remembering how wild all this seemed to people at first. "Nope. We helped them out with a snake problem a while back and they said to just call if we ever needed them."

"Go ahead, Paige," Leo agreed, knowing that this was their best option at the moment.

Walking in the room at that moment, Piper interrupted, "It can wait until after dinner! It will be ready in 15 minutes and I don't want to track you down using a rainbow when it is." Then she stalked back into the kitchen, rolling her eyes at her last statement. It came out almost naturally – like saying _'calling you from down the street'_.

Still feeling overwhelmed by…well, everything, Jonathan whispered to his wife, "You get the feeling our lives have just gotten a whole lot stranger?"

Martha half-giggled at his glazed look, then answered him seriously, "Maybe, but if it helps keep Clark safe, I'm willing to deal with more weirdness."

-------------------------------------------

After dinner, Paige summoned her leprechaun friend. "We'd like to test a theory about magical travel for our friends," she said, waving in the direction of the Kents and Summers sisters. "We know about their reaction to orbing, but we need to know if holds true for other magical travel as well."

"And why should I help ye with that, lassie? I ain't the Rainbow Express for your friends," he replied snidely.

Piper cut in angrily, "Because you owe us a favor! This is what we choose," she declared.

Buffy was worried that this could turn ugly. Now if this were a demon, she'd just threaten to beat him until they got what they wanted, but presumably this was a good guy. So, she resorted to bribing him, "Maybe there's something I can do for you in exchange? After all, former Slayer here! And the favor is for _my_ family; you shouldn't have to use your marker with them for me," she told the sisters, although she was grateful for the offer.

The small man's eyes widened in shock. This _was_ good fortune! "You be her?"

"Well, I was until I died, but I still have the powers," Buffy answered truthfully, not wanting to mislead him as to who the _active_ Slayer was.

He smiled broadly at the news. "Well then, that be a different story! If ye are truly the Slayer, your hair would be very handy for us," he declared happily.

Confused, Buffy just asked, "How?"

"We have a protection spell for our homelands, but we need the hair of a Slayer for it," he explained. "Since we can't cross into her side of the magical world, it be rare for us to get any," he finished sadly.

Dawn started snickering and muttered, "Doubt you could use Buffy's, anyway; she colors her hair."

Buffy glared at her little sister. Then she realized that she hadn't said anything about her discovery before. "Actually, the funny thing is, I haven't…not since the Hellmouth thing. My eye color changed a little too after that."

"Really? I thought it was just the relief of being free that made your eyes seem brighter," Dawn said with a small hitch in her voice. She noticed that Buffy's eyes were almost a sapphire-blue now, instead of the gray-blue they were before.

"Nope!" Buffy commented with a shake of her now golden tresses.

Dawn was surprised; guess that day changed her sister in more ways than one. "Wow. Think of all the money you'll save," she teased.

"Funny, Dawnie." Buffy turned back to the leprechaun. "If my hair doesn't work for some reason, I'll ask the current Slayer for her hair. How much are we talking about, anyway?" she asked fearfully, worried that they would want to shave her head or something.

He just shrugged, calculated the necessary ingredients to cover the whole land. The spell was passed down in his family, so he knew it by heart – on the off chance of ever meeting a Slayer. "Just a couple inches should hold us for a couple centuries."

Buffy nodded in agreement, "Alright, you got a deal. Let's get moving."

When Clark took the 'Rainbow Express', he found he had the same weakness as with orbing. Buffy gave the leprechauns some of her hair, which pleased them greatly when they discovered its properties were even stronger than that of a normal Slayer's hair. The spell would last a lot longer than they expected. Then she quickly went back to the manor with the others to work on Clark's problem in private.

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**Back at the manor, San Francisco**

They had been discussing the problem for a while when Phoebe offered her theory, "You know, I was thinking…maybe it isn't the traveling that is the problem; maybe it's magick itself."

"Say you're right. How do we test that?" Buffy asked cautiously, thinking she knew where Phoebe was going with this.

Paige answered for her sister, "We try some spells on him and see if they affect him."

Jonathan stood up and yelled, "What? No way!" He knew that Buffy trusted these people, and she helped Clark already with his situation, but this sounded like it would put his son at risk. That just wasn't going to happen. Not when he was around.

Hurrying to assure him, Piper said, "Nothing dangerous, we promise! Just some low level stuff in order to check. It wouldn't hurt him…I don't think." Seeing the look in Jonathan's eyes, she quickly explained, "They _shouldn't_, but since he's not supernatural, we can't be completely sure. That's why I'm saying _low_ level."

"Buffy?" Martha asked, needing her opinion on this. She and Jonathan just weren't equipped to deal with issues like this.

Buffy sighed. "I'm not magick girl, but I know that you can trust them not to _intentionally_ hurt Clark. They really are only looking out for him," she promised her family.

Then Martha turned to her son to inquire, "What do you think, Clark? This is about you, after all."

"I have to admit that it scares me a little. On the other hand, we are still left with the issue we had earlier: I need to know my weakness or weaknesses before the bad guys do," Clark pointed out.

Jonathan sat back down, resigned that this was going to happen. "If you're sure, son. But if there is any problem, we stop immediately!" he said threateningly. He knew that he really couldn't threaten these people with any credibility. Not if they could hurt _Clark_. Doesn't mean he wouldn't try, though.

It didn't matter. They understood the sentiment behind the tone. Piper just repeated her prior statement, "We promise."

Looking around the room, Phoebe asked another important question, "Where should we do this?"

"I'd feel better if we did this back home. That way, we wouldn't have to worry about how to get him home afterward," Martha explained.

The sisters agreed and went to get some potions and their family book. That is, except for Piper. Buffy pulled her and Leo aside to have the talk about Cordy. Tara orbed the others back to the farm, coming back for the next two right after she took Clark and Jonathan``.

-------------------------------------------

Once they were alone, Buffy began, "I know that we have the sitch with Clark to worry about right now, but I thought I'd tell you that I may know someone who can be your baby's nanny. I'm not sure she has any supernatural abilities anymore, but she has been part of this life for almost as long as I have. I met her when I moved to Sunnydale."

Piper looked doubtful, remembering Xander and Willow. "Another one of your 'friends'? I'm not sure I know how I'd feel about that."

Buffy just chuckled when she tried to picture her and Cordy as buds, "Not sure you could ever call me and Queen C friends. We like each other; that's about as far as we were willing to admit before she left a few years back. Actually, I'm not sure that we would have even admitted _that_."

Now it was Leo's turn to look doubtful. "And you want her to care for our child?" he inquired.

"I think the big reason we didn't get along back then was because we both wanted to be big girl on campus, so to speak. But we've both grown up a lot since then," she told them truthfully.

Still hesitant, Piper asked, "Why didn't you mention her before?"

"She was hurt during the last apocalypse, except I was under the impression she died. Tara came to me this morning with a request from Doyle to try and heal her. He couldn't because of that barrier thing, but he hoped I would be exempt from it. So, I healed her, and when she found out what Angel and the others were up to, she asked for someplace else to go. She's helped with a supernatural baby before, so…" Buffy trailed off hopefully.

"Well, can't hurt to talk to her. None of the supernatural nannies want to work for the Charmed Ones; they think it's too dangerous," Piper muttered bitterly.

Smirking, Buffy struggled to not laugh as she replied, "Gee, I don't understand why!"

Piper glared at the small blonde. "Watch it, you! You're not any better, you know," she pointed out.

"Thanks. Do me a favor; don't tell Doyle about it. She's pretty upset with him, and I don't want to warn him that she's coming. Don't worry, he deserves whatever she does to him. Besides, she's likely to kiss it all better afterward anyway," Buffy said with a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows.

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**Smallville, the next day**

They decided that the best place to test this out was in the barn – in case anybody happened to come by. Since Clark had already recovered from the magical travel the day before, the sisters started hitting him with their spells and potions. After each one, he felt the effects, then recovered after a little bit. One of them knocked him into the farmyard, where – surprisingly – the sun's rays made him feel better much faster.

When he mentioned it, they added that to their test factors. If he was hit by a spell in the barn, it bothered him more and took longer to recover, but if he was outside in the sunlight, the same spell wasn't as bad and he was almost instantly better.

The other thing they learned was that the more they practiced on him, the less their magick affected him. It didn't mean they were willing to attempt more dangerous spells or potions, though. Even if the _sisters_ were willing, Jonathan and Martha certainly weren't.

After a few hours of watching their son getting 'hurt', they asked – or pleaded – for them to stop. The sisters didn't mind; they weren't exactly happy about this either. They just hoped that it would help him in the future.

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A/N: Next…Dream a little dream.


	12. Chapter 10: Not Another Dream!

**Chapter 10: Not Another Dream!**

Warning: Just the generic warning for possible language.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Charmed characters belong to WB. Smallville characters belong to DC Comics & WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: Thanks to my betas for their help...BkwrmDancer, DawnDreamer, AshDawnSoulmates, ktweaver, and Chrislover.

-------------------------------------------

**Smallville**

**A few weeks later…**

Buffy woke up from her dream shaking. Hadn't the Angel of Destiny told her that she was free? Why was she still having Slayer dreams?

As if he heard her, the being in question appeared in her room.

"I thought I was done. What's the deal with the dreams?" she demanded before he could say anything.

Instead of being upset by her rudeness, the Angel of Destiny gave her a sympathetic smile. "Let me answer your question with a question. If there was evil happening and you could do something about it, would you want to know? Or would you rather live in ignorance?"

As she thought about her answer, he continued, "As for what's happening…it doesn't require you _specifically_ to fight it – not like your destiny as the Slayer. But I won't lie to you either…your involvement would save many lives," he explained earnestly.

He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before offering her the choice, "If you truly want to remain ignorant of events you can influence, the dreams will stop. _Is_ that what you want?"

Buffy returned the scrutiny, then asked, "You're saying that I don't have to fight this new evil for the rest of my life? I can walk away when I've had enough?" He nodded. "Then I'll keep the dreams. They helped my cousins with a pretty big problem.…So, how do I go about doing this thing?"

"Ask Jonathan to introduce you to his friend Senator Jack Jennings. He'll get you to the people who will get you where you need to be. And Buffy…thank you for doing this," he added, knowing she needed to hear that from somebody.

She gave him a bright smile. "A girl could get used to all this love. By the way, thanks to whoever let me heal Cordy. She and Doyle deserve a shot at happiness."

"They do. It also doesn't hurt that they can help protect the Charmed One's child. That one will have a heavy destiny to live up to. Maybe some advice from 'Aunt' Buffy would be in order," he suggested lightly.

"Poor kid," Buffy sympathized. But she had figured out by now there was nothing she could do about it. "Sooo, can you tell me if it's a boy or girl? Give me a headstart on baby shopping?" she asked teasingly.

The Angel of Destiny just laughed as he vanished.

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**The next morning…**

As she reached for the waffles at breakfast, Buffy gave her uncle her classic pouty look while requesting, "Uncle Jonathan, could you call your friend, Senator Jack Jennings, for me?"

Dawn recognized the tone in Buffy's voice and demanded, "What's wrong?"

"I had a dream--" Buffy started.

"Those are supposed to be gone now! You're destiny-free! They promised!!!" Dawn cut her off in anger. What was the point of the prophecy if she had to keep doing the PTB's dirty work?

Buffy tried to calm her sister down, "And I still am…for the most part. The way the Angel of Destiny explained it to me was I could give up the dreams if I wanted to. Plus, I can walk away from this new threat anytime I want. My help isn't required, but it would be…well, helpful."

"Are you sure you want to keep fighting?" Martha questioned, knowing that her cousin was just recovering from her last battle.

"I guess the way I'm looking at my life now is: I'm sorta like a cop, or firefighter, or even a soldier. Eventually, I'll be too old to do what I do. As long as I'm not there yet – and I get regular vacations – I should use my abilities while I can," Buffy answered with a shrug.

Jonathan put his coffee down and looked at the blonde fighter. "And Jack can help you?"

Buffy paraphrased the Angel of Destiny's words to her, "He can introduce me to the people who can get me where I need to be."

Clark was already missing his older cousin. Not only had she convinced his parents to tell him the truth about where he came from, she and Dawn made him feel less out of place about it, too. "When will you be leaving?" he asked, his face downcast.

"Don't know. Probably pretty soon. But don't worry, I'm just an orb away if you guys need anything," she promised, reaching over to squeeze his hand.

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Jonathan called his friend, who said he was willing to meet with her. Only problem was that he couldn't get away from the DC area, so she would have to go there. That didn't bother Buffy, though. She figured the people she had to talk to would be somewhere else anyway.

Once the appointment with Senator Jennings was confirmed, Buffy started to pack most of her things. She wasn't sure how much time she had before she would have to leave the farm, but she guessed it wouldn't be long. It usually wasn't. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too bad for everyone.

Clark knocked on her door. "Buffy? Can I talk to you?"

"Sure, cuz. Come in. What's on your mind?" she inquired as she took a break.

"I wanted to get your opinion on something. I already know how my folks feel, but it's kinda something only people like us deal with," he started rambling.

Which made her interrupt, "Breathe. What is it?"

"Should I tell my friends? …About my abilities, that is?" he clarified.

Buffy sighed, not wanting to get in the middle of a fight over this. She opted to just give him a lesson from her past. "Your parents have good reasons for wanting to keep this quiet. I don't know your friends and they do. What I can tell you – and them – are my own experiences. Have a seat."

"When I was in LA, I pretty much only had my Watcher to help me out – until he died. Then there was this guy, Pike, who helped me. My friends from before I was Called were too frivolous and shallow to deal with my new life. It made life pretty miserable for me not to have somebody to talk to. Pike was great for the slaying stuff, but that was all. We didn't really mesh that much outside of slaying," she added ruefully, remembering the times she tried to talk to him about other things.

Clark interrupted her thoughts, "So I should tell them?"

Rolling her eyes at his impatience, Buffy gave a small chuckle, "Hold your horses. I haven't finished. When my mom and I moved to Sunnydale – and Dawn, although that part of her life wasn't real yet – the first friends I met there were the first people I saved. Probably because they were my friends. Anyway, they had firsthand experience with my life and didn't repress it like my friends in LA did. And they wanted to help me."

"So it was a good thing they knew," he pushed.

Buffy rubbed her hands over her face, trying to figure out the best way to say this, "Yes and no. I don't know how long they would have survived without knowing, but being my friends also made them targets for the bad guys. They knew that the best way to get to me was through my friends and family. Apart from running away, you can't change the family part, and I don't recommend that. It sucks for everyone involved."

She took a deep breath, then continued, "Basically what it boils down to is: can they be trusted with your secret, and are they willing to deal with the added danger from knowing that secret? Being your friend will be dangerous no matter what. However, if they know things about you that nobody else does…it can make them a target. Just keep that in mind."

She saw the dejected look on his face and could picture him closing himself off from everyone to keep them safe. "I'm not trying to dissuade you from having friends, 'cause that's what's kept me alive so long…literally. It's also kept me from going off the deep end. But don't make the same mistake I did with your friends," she warned.

Clark saw the pain flash in her eyes and inquired gently, "What's that?"

"If you tell them your secret – or they find out somehow – don't let them define you by your abilities or your destiny. You are Clark Kent just as much as you are Space-boy. You got it?"

When he nodded, she explained what she meant, "Where I started having problem with my friends was when they could only think of me as the Slayer; not a girl who had the same problems they had with everyday life. Unfortunately, cuz, we get the short end of the stick because of our dual identities. If it helps, just remember that there are others who know how this feels, and you can talk to any of us if you need to."

"I'll remember that, Buffy. And thanks for the advice. Sure will miss you, cuz," he said as he wrapped her up in a hug.

Buffy enjoyed the embrace for a moment before pulling away. "I'll miss you, too. Just remember to call if you need me. Even if it's just to talk," she ordered him.

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**Washington DC**

**Same time…**

Jack Jennings was walking down the corridor of the Capitol, talking to his friend and colleague, "…That's what he said. But Jonathan's one of my oldest friends, and he's never asked me for anything before. So I figure I can at least _see_ what this Buffy Summers wants."

A uniformed man looked up at the name and stalked over to them. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but hear you mention Buffy Summers."

Jack recognized him from some place or other. It would come to him soon. "Yes. Why? Do you know her?" he inquired calmly.

Colonel McNamara scowled fiercely, "Unfortunately. We had a good project going, and it was progressing rather nicely until she came along and destroyed it."

Now Jack remembered the man. Granted the name plate and rank insignia helped. But it was his mention of the failed project that put the pieces together. "How did she manage that?" he asked, hoping for some details. He had never managed to get any in the past.

"Mainly by turning the top retrieval team leader against the project. She was threatening the project and that forced the project head to panic, which cost her her life," he said, the accusation clear in his voice. "Then later, Miss Summers and some others broke into the headquarters. Because of their actions, we barely made it out of there with our lives; some of us didn't even get that much," he added bitterly.

That surprised the Senator. "So why weren't they ever charged?"

McNamara half snorted/half growled, "The _official_ line was that they didn't want the negative publicity if the project was discovered. It was very important work, but it was also very dangerous."

"Why didn't _she_ ever expose it then?" Jack questioned; something didn't sound right about this to him.

"Because she and her cohorts knew that keeping it a secret was the only thing standing between them and a prison cell. Take my advice: stay far, far away from Buffy Summers!" the Colonel all but yelled at Jack. Then he stormed away down the hall.

The Senator's colleague chuckled at the display, having kept quiet the whole time. "Hmm, what do you make of _that_?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Not sure. One thing I do know, though, is that Colonel McNamara's career stalled out about four years ago. He was on the fast track for stars on his shoulder, then all of a sudden, the talk ended. It was never explained why. I wonder if it was because of that project he mentioned."

"Are you still going to meet with her?" his friend asked.

Which made the Senator look at him as if he lost his mind. "Now more than ever. I'm curious what _her_ side of the story is," he said.

The other man smiled and commented, "Have to admit, so am I."

Jack knew he could trust this man…as much as he could anyone around the Hill. "I'll let you know if I can," he promised.

"Thanks. See you later, Jack," he said, shaking the Senator's hand before walking away.

"Bye," Jack called after him.

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A/N: Next…That's it for _'What the Future Brings'_. I'll start the sequel when I get some of my other stories taken care of. Thanks for all the interest, people!


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